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Why Do We Look Different? Explained

Peter and his sister Marcia were looking through a bird book that categorized birds into families. Within each family, the bird species looked different from one another in terms of color and beak shape. Peter asked how they could be in the same family if they look different. Marcia explained that while they don't have the same parents, the bird species in a family evolved from a common ancestor long ago. She used her and Peter as an example - though they have the same parents, they look slightly different due to getting different combinations of genes from their parents, who each contributed some of their own traits. This gene mixing is what causes variation between offspring and also explains why related bird species within a family can

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Monica Y Eiden Moh
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199 views3 pages

Why Do We Look Different? Explained

Peter and his sister Marcia were looking through a bird book that categorized birds into families. Within each family, the bird species looked different from one another in terms of color and beak shape. Peter asked how they could be in the same family if they look different. Marcia explained that while they don't have the same parents, the bird species in a family evolved from a common ancestor long ago. She used her and Peter as an example - though they have the same parents, they look slightly different due to getting different combinations of genes from their parents, who each contributed some of their own traits. This gene mixing is what causes variation between offspring and also explains why related bird species within a family can

Uploaded by

Monica Y Eiden Moh
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Science

Tuesday and Thursday: Read the following story, then use the web diagram below to brainstorm on the
following questions “Why Do We Look Different?”

Peter and Marica, his older sister, were looking through a book called “Birds of Mesoamerica.”
Peter noticed that the book divided the birds into families such as hummingbirds, ducks and
geese, crows, finches and parrots. In each family, there was a variety of species that looked
different from one another. For example, they had different colours and different shapes of
beak.
“But how can they all be different but still be in the same family? Do they all have the same
parents?, Were they hatched around the same time?” Peter asked.
“Those are excellent questions, “said Marcia. “When we talk about families of animals, it
doesn’t mean that they have the same mother and father, but they did share a common
ancestor many, many years ago.
So all hummingbirds are related because they have evolved from the same birds.”
“So why aren’t they all the same,” asked Peter?
“Do you and I look the same,” Marcia replied.
“Of course not,” said Peter, “you are a girl and I am a boy!”
Marcia laughed and said, “Look harder. My hair is totally straight but yours is a little wavy and
my eyes are darker than yours. We look a little different, even though we have the same mom
and dad. I think I look a little more like Mom and you look more like Dad.”Peter thought about
this and said, “Your eyes are like Mom’s but you have Dad’s skin colour and you both have the
same pointy ears.”
“Exactly,” said Marcia, “I have a bit of Mom in me and a bit of Dad. This is because of genes.
When I was born, I got half my genes from Mom and half from Dad. So did you, but the genes
you got from Mom are different than the ones I got.”
“If Mom and Dad both have straight, black hair, why do I have wavy hair?” Peter asked.
“That is a little complicated, but let me try to explain. Each person has two copies of the gene
for hair type but they only pass one of them on to their children. Mom could have a gene for
straight hair and a gene for wavy hair. Her grandmother, your great grandmother had wavy hair.
When you were born, you got the wavy haired gene. This helps to explain why people in the
same family can look quite different from each other.”
“So what does this have to do with birds?” Peter asked.
“It is the same with birds, and all animals and most plants. The shape, colour and features of
each bird is determined from the mix of genes it got from its parents. No bird will look exactly
like its mom or dad, or brother or sister,” Marcia replied.
Brainstorm all the possible answer to the question ‘Why Do We Look Different?”

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