You are your father's child

Once a baby is born, all parents/friends/relatives start playing the same game: Who does the baby look more like? Mothers will point out that the baby has her chin or her eyes. Fathers will point out the baby has his hair color or his lips. Serious players will pull out old baby photos and do side-by-side comparisons.

But the research is in, and it turns out that we use more of our father's genes than our mother's genes. So, yes, you may be the spitting image of your mother, but your DNA actually contains more genes from your father.

Yes, yes, science is neat, but what does this mean for you? Well, at the moment, not a lot, since the research is still relatively new. (It's so new, I wonder how long science classes will be teaching the idea that you get half of your genes from each parent and move on to the idea that it's not exactly a 50/50 split.) On a more personal scale, however, before you have a baby, you could do a little more research on the diseases and genetic predilections on Dad's side of the family, so you are better prepared.

What family traits run in the patriarchal side of your family? Share with me in the comments.