How does wizardry tie into genetics?
We’ve all assumed kids know nothing about genetics. But children today have exposure to very complicated genetic concepts. One of the examples I use is Harry Potter. I can say to children, “You understand he’s a wizard. How do you think he got to be a wizard? Do your parents have to have it?” No. It appears that wizardry follows autosomal recessive patterns of inheritance. You could have two parents that are “Muggles,” or nonwizards, which means they are both carriers of the “wizard gene.” Although they aren’t wizards themselves, they can have a wizard child. They are called “half-bloods” in the books. Those wizard children who have two wizard parents are called “pure-bloods.” Other complex genetic terms—like variable expressivity and incomplete penetrance—can also be seen in the wizard world. You have people who may come from powerful wizard parents but have none or limited magical abilities themselves. So here you have these very sophisticated concepts and people say, “How can I ever
