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4 votes
albinism results from a recessive allele. two parents with normal pigmentation have an albino child. what is the probability that their next child will have albinism?

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer: 25%, or 1/4

Step-by-step explanation:

We are assuming that the albinism trait is recessive, or that two of the albinism alleles are required for a person to develop albinism. Because the parents do not have albinism, we can assume that they have at least one dominant allele (A). Since they have a child with albinism, we can also assume that they both have at least one recessive allele (a), or that they are heterozygous carriers of the trait (Aa).

Punnet Square:

A a

A AA Aa

a Aa aa

From this cross, we can see that these particular parents have a 25% chance (1/4) of having a child with albinism (this is the probability of any of their children, including the next). Already having a child with albinism does not affect this probability.

answered
User Art Olshansky
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7.6k points
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