In the Harry Potter books and movies, many of the characters who knew Harry’s parents tell him that he resembles his mother or note his similarity to his father in his willingness to bend the rules. To many fans, these comments make sense, because a child receives half of his genetic information from his mother and half from his father. Thus, it seems fair to say that:

Harry Potter has his mother’s eyes.

Questions

1. Do you think it is more likely that the color and shape of a person’s eyes are determined by one gene or many genes?
2. Did Harry receive copies of genes that determine eye color and shape from his mother?
3. Did he receive copies of genes that determine eye color and shape from his father?
4. Think back to the Punnett squares you’ve viewed and drawn. Do genes for only one or both parents likely influence eye color and shape?
5. Reflect on your answers to questions 1–4. Explain why the statement bolded above sounds right, but isn’t.