What is not inherited
Not every difference between two people came down a family line. Some were acquired during one lifetime, and those go no further.
Beyond the syllabus — characteristics that are not inherited
Characteristics that arise because of the environment, nutrition, exercise and activity are not inherited.
- The muscle growth built up by exercise
- The calluses that form on the feet
- A scar on the skin
Figure to be added
The test to apply
Ask one question of any characteristic: where did it come from? If the answer is a parent, it is inherited. If the answer is something that happened to this particular body, it is not.
Inherited
Came from a previous generation and can go to the next. Ear lobes, tongue rolling, eye colour.
Acquired
Arose during this lifetime and stops here. Muscle from training, a callus, a scar.
A lifetime of training changes you, not your children
Characteristics produced by the environment, food, exercise or activity are not inherited. However much a person builds their muscles, their child is not born with them.