Thumb Dominance Essay Example
Objective: * This experiment will determine whether for thumbs of clasped hands is a relationship between R-handedness or left handedness and which thumb is clasped on top of the other thumb.
Question: * Does one inherited trait always influence another closely related trait?
Research
Reiss M. The genetics of hand-clasping--a review and a familial study. Ann Hum Biol 1999 Jan-Feb; 26(1):39-48 Hand-clasping refers to the preferential tendency for individuals to clasp the hands together. This paper reviews the previous literature on family data and twins, and reports new data. In this study about 55% of the population are left-hand-claspers, 44% are right-hand-claspers, and the remaining 1% report that they have no preference or are indifferent. Familial data suggest that hand-clasping may be under genetic control: although the data do not fit any straightforward recessive or dominant Mendelian model, they are compatible with the type of model invoking fluctuating asymmetry which has been used to explain the inheritance of handedness and arm-folding. It is possible that hand-clasping, as for example arm-folding, may be an idiosyncrasy due to or influenced by physical bilateral differences in the hands. All data together are suggestive of a genetic basis, although environmental influences are also evident. http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/neur-sci/2001-November/047260.html Hypothesis
There is no correlation between which thumb is on top and the hand dominance when the hands are clasped. In this hypothesis we accept that these two characteristics are genetically unrelated.
Data Collected
Table 1: consists of all the data collected. Full data is located at the end of report. * Neither means that the subjects placed their thumbs side by side each other.
Table 1: consists of all the data collected. Full data is located at the end of report. * Neither means that the subjects placed
Question: * Does one inherited trait always influence another closely related trait?
Research
Reiss M. The genetics of hand-clasping--a review and a familial study. Ann Hum Biol 1999 Jan-Feb; 26(1):39-48 Hand-clasping refers to the preferential tendency for individuals to clasp the hands together. This paper reviews the previous literature on family data and twins, and reports new data. In this study about 55% of the population are left-hand-claspers, 44% are right-hand-claspers, and the remaining 1% report that they have no preference or are indifferent. Familial data suggest that hand-clasping may be under genetic control: although the data do not fit any straightforward recessive or dominant Mendelian model, they are compatible with the type of model invoking fluctuating asymmetry which has been used to explain the inheritance of handedness and arm-folding. It is possible that hand-clasping, as for example arm-folding, may be an idiosyncrasy due to or influenced by physical bilateral differences in the hands. All data together are suggestive of a genetic basis, although environmental influences are also evident. http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/neur-sci/2001-November/047260.html Hypothesis
There is no correlation between which thumb is on top and the hand dominance when the hands are clasped. In this hypothesis we accept that these two characteristics are genetically unrelated.
Data Collected
Table 1: consists of all the data collected. Full data is located at the end of report. * Neither means that the subjects placed their thumbs side by side each other.
Table 1: consists of all the data collected. Full data is located at the end of report. * Neither means that the subjects placed