How do scientists study human genetics?
You have already been introduced to the Punnett Square method for predicting genotypes and phenotypes. That method can be used where gamete and parental genotypes can be determined. An additional method of studying genetics, the pedigree, can be used when identifiable families can be determined. This is particularly useful for humans ( and their pets and livestock). Using Mendel’s ideas of recessive/dominant alleles and his principle of segregation a person’s past can be analyzed and used to predict future outcomes of reproduction. The pedigree method has been used successfully to identify the genetic causes of many human abnomalities or disorders.
