Genetics of gender? No female born into my family since 1891
Discussion
I'm just wondering if genes play a part in the selection of gender. Now, both my late father and I were only children - but I've fathered two sons, and of my grandparents' generation, my paternal grandfather had a brother and two sisters (the elder, born in 1886, died in 1990 - the younger, born in 1891, survived only to 1923). My great-aunt had only sons, one of whom himself only begot male offspring (although he did end up with two grand-daughters)... my great-uncle never had kids AFAIK... but the last female born into my family, with the same surname, was born in 1891. Her older sister, who I knew well, never mentioned her existence - I only found out about her through online research - but I've wondered idly whether her premature demise cursed our ability to produce daughters!
RoverP6B said:
I'm just wondering if genes play a part in the selection of gender.
Wonder no more! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_sex-determination...Is this what you are describing? It doesn't seem impossibly far-fetched
Grandfather (had brother and two sisters)
|
Father (no siblings)
|
You (no siblings)
|
2 x boys
However there is a doctor hidden somewhere in this article who suggests that 'there is some type of genetic determination in some families that have a lot of girls or a lot of boys', so maybe you are on to something
Edited by here_we_go on Tuesday 6th February 01:03
My wifes family is the opposite.
All girls.
(Apart from obs the married in blokes to produce more girls).
Score on the door for the last 100 hrs - male births ~ 4, female births 190+ (Irish, like company for the crack), current generation of the wife / family, wife and two sisters. Next generation of the family between us poor long sufferring husbands and the married in snakes? 10 girls.
Good job we're busy breeding lesbians to help mate with your homo-male race!
It does turn out that there is a genetic condition in my wifes family CEP920(?) that predesposes females (along with a more unfotunate physical manifestation which genetics has only identified in the last ten years and explains many of the kids problems) so there may be something similar on the male side?
All girls.
(Apart from obs the married in blokes to produce more girls).
Score on the door for the last 100 hrs - male births ~ 4, female births 190+ (Irish, like company for the crack), current generation of the wife / family, wife and two sisters. Next generation of the family between us poor long sufferring husbands and the married in snakes? 10 girls.
Good job we're busy breeding lesbians to help mate with your homo-male race!
It does turn out that there is a genetic condition in my wifes family CEP920(?) that predesposes females (along with a more unfotunate physical manifestation which genetics has only identified in the last ten years and explains many of the kids problems) so there may be something similar on the male side?
Or could just be probability.
You mention your grandfather had two sisters and one had two granddaughters. Little bit hard to tot up all the members of your facility back 3 generations, but sounds like about 18 offspring in total. The chances of all being boys would be unlikely (although not impossible): 2 to the power 18, which is 1 in 262,144.
However, there are 18!/4!12! = 3060 different ways of having 4 girls out of 18 boys, each of which has a probability of 1 in 262,144. So by my reckoning, the chances of 4 girls out of 18 is offspring is 3060/262144 = 1.2% or 1 in 86. Rare, but not so unlikely that it requires a genetic explanation.
You mention your grandfather had two sisters and one had two granddaughters. Little bit hard to tot up all the members of your facility back 3 generations, but sounds like about 18 offspring in total. The chances of all being boys would be unlikely (although not impossible): 2 to the power 18, which is 1 in 262,144.
However, there are 18!/4!12! = 3060 different ways of having 4 girls out of 18 boys, each of which has a probability of 1 in 262,144. So by my reckoning, the chances of 4 girls out of 18 is offspring is 3060/262144 = 1.2% or 1 in 86. Rare, but not so unlikely that it requires a genetic explanation.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff