Baby Genetics Calculator
Predict Eye & Hair Color Probabilities
Mother's Side
Father's Side
Predicted Trait Probabilities
This calculator is a simplified educational tool based on dominant/recessive gene models. Real human genetics are far more complex and involve multiple genes. These results are estimations, not guarantees.
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'; var colors = { 'Brown': '#8B4513', 'Green': '#2E8B57', 'Blue': '#3498db', 'Dark': '#34495e', 'Light': '#F1C40F' }; for (var trait in results) { if (results.hasOwnProperty(trait)) { var percentage = results[trait]; if (percentage > 0) { html += ''; } } } container.innerHTML = html; } function calculateGenetics() { // Get eye color values var motherEye = document.getElementById('motherEyeColor').value; var fatherEye = document.getElementById('fatherEyeColor').value; var matGrandmaEye = document.getElementById('maternalGrandmotherEyeColor').value; var matGrandpaEye = document.getElementById('maternalGrandfatherEyeColor').value; var patGrandmaEye = document.getElementById('paternalGrandmotherEyeColor').value; var patGrandpaEye = document.getElementById('paternalGrandfatherEyeColor').value; // Get hair color values var motherHair = document.getElementById('motherHairColor').value; var fatherHair = document.getElementById('fatherHairColor').value; // We need grandparents' hair color to infer parents' genotypes. // For simplicity, we'll assume the grandparents' hair colors are the same as their eye color counterparts for logic. // This is a major simplification but necessary without adding 4 more input fields. // Let's infer parents' hair genotypes based on their own color only for simplicity. // A better model would require more inputs, but this keeps the UI clean. // Let's assume if a parent is Dark, they are 'Dd' to allow for recessive traits. var motherHairGeno = motherHair === 'Dark' ? 'Dd' : 'dd'; var fatherHairGeno = fatherHair === 'Dark' ? 'Dd' : 'dd'; // Infer parental genotypes var motherEyeGeno = getEyeGenotype(motherEye, matGrandmaEye, matGrandpaEye); var fatherEyeGeno = getEyeGenotype(fatherEye, patGrandmaEye, patGrandpaEye); // Calculate probabilities var eyeProbs = calculateEyeProbabilities(motherEyeGeno, fatherEyeGeno); var hairProbs = calculateHairProbabilities(motherHairGeno, fatherHairGeno); // Display results document.getElementById('results-container').style.display = 'block'; displayResults(eyeProbs, 'eyeColorResult', 'Eye Color Probability'); displayResults(hairProbs, 'hairColorResult', 'Hair Color Probability'); }Understanding Your Baby's Potential Traits
Have you ever wondered if your baby will inherit your eyes, your partner's hair, or perhaps a trait from a grandparent? While genetics are incredibly complex, we can use simplified models to predict the likelihood of certain physical traits, like eye and hair color. This calculator uses basic principles of genetic inheritance to give you a fun glimpse into the possibilities.
How Are Traits Inherited? The Role of Genes
For every trait, you inherit one gene, called an allele, from each parent. Some alleles are dominant and others are recessive. A dominant allele will express its trait even if only one copy is present. A recessive allele will only express its trait if two copies are present.
- Eye Color: This is a polygenic trait (controlled by multiple genes), but for simplicity, we can look at it with a basic model. Brown eye alleles are generally dominant over green and blue alleles. Green is dominant over blue. This means a person with one brown allele and one blue allele will have brown eyes. To have blue eyes, a person must inherit two blue eye alleles.
- Hair Color: Similar to eye color, dark hair alleles (black, brown) are typically dominant over light hair alleles (blonde, red).
The Grandparent Effect: Why Traits Can Skip a Generation
You might have brown eyes, and so might your partner, but you could still have a blue-eyed child. How is this possible? It's all thanks to those recessive genes—what we call the "grandparent effect."
If you have brown eyes, your genetic makeup (genotype) could be either two brown alleles (homozygous) or one brown and one blue allele (heterozygous). If you are heterozygous, you are a carrier for the blue-eyed trait. If both you and your partner are carriers, there's a 25% chance that you will both pass on your blue-eyed allele to your child, resulting in them having blue eyes, a trait that may have been last seen in one of their grandparents.
This calculator uses the eye colors of the grandparents to make a more educated guess about the parents' genotypes, leading to a more refined prediction for the baby.
Example Calculation
Let's walk through a scenario:
- Mother: Brown Eyes (but her own mother had Blue Eyes)
- Father: Brown Eyes (but his father had Blue Eyes)
Because both the Mother and Father have a blue-eyed parent, we know they must both be carriers of the recessive blue-eye allele. Their genotype is heterozygous (e.g., Bb). When we combine their genes, the possibilities for their child are:
- 25% chance of inheriting two dominant Brown alleles (BB) -> Brown Eyes
- 50% chance of inheriting one Brown and one Blue allele (Bb) -> Brown Eyes
- 25% chance of inheriting two recessive Blue alleles (bb) -> Blue Eyes
In this case, the calculator would predict a 75% chance of Brown Eyes and a 25% chance of Blue Eyes. Our calculator uses a slightly more complex model involving green eyes, but the principle remains the same.
Important Disclaimer: This tool is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Human genetics involve many genes interacting in complex ways, and many other factors can influence a child's appearance. The probabilities generated by this calculator are based on simplified, well-established genetic models but should not be considered a definitive prediction.