Nancy Wexler - Gene Tree

Did you ever wonder why your mom can roll her tongue, but you can't? It's all in the genes! Nancy Wexler knows a lot about genes. Nancy is a neuropsychologist: she studies the relationship between the nervous system and behavior.

Nancy specializes in Huntington's disease, a genetic disease that causes uncontrollable movements and does not have a cure. Every year Nancy and her team travel to Venezuela where most of the community—including entire families—have this genetic disease. Nancy's first step was to make a family tree of the community! In this activity you are going to build your own family tree and study some genetic traits that you have inherited from your relatives.


	A pen, pencil, or marker Scrap paper Family members to interview Family pictures Camera (optional) Family Gene Tree Data Sheet Family Gene Tree Journal

Tip, your family tree has to start with people who are related by blood.

1. Print this activity.

Print this page, the Family Gene Tree Data Sheet, and the Family Gene Tree Journal.

2. Pick a trait.

Here are three genetic traits you can research: tongue rolling, ear lobes, or dimples. Start simple and consider just one of these traits, then create a second and third tree for the other two traits too!

3. Make a list.

On scrap paper, make a list of all the people in your family that you are able to get information about. You can learn about the trait you chose by talking to people, looking at family pictures, or talking to people who knew a family member.

4. Find out about your family.

Once your list is complete, gather information about each family member.

Tongue rolling
Check to see who in your family can roll his/her tongue and who can't. Write down your findings next to each name on your list. If you are using a camera, make the members prove that they can actually roll their tongue and take a picture!
Ears
Check to see if family members have attached or unattached earlobes by looking in person or at family pictures. Write down your findings next to each name on your list. If you are using a camera, take a picture!
Dimples
Check to see who has dimples and who doesn't by looking in person or at family pictures. Your cousin only has one dimple? That counts as having dimples! Write down your findings next to each name on your list. If you are using a camera, take a picture!

5. Fill in your family gene tree.

Use the information that you've gathered to fill in the Family Gene Tree Data Sheet.

If there aren't enough spaces on this tree, make your own tree on a bigger sheet of paper.

6. Analyze your information.

In your Family Gene Tree Journal, write down some of the things you learned about your family.

It's in Your Genes

In the cells of your body, genetic information is stored on structures called chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes—half come from your mom and half come from your dad. On the chromosomes are your genes; these are what determine the characteristics you will have. For example, if you have the genes for blue eyes, then you’ll have blue eyes! You've inherited thousands of traits from your parents!

If you unraveled all your chromosomes from all of your cells and laid out the DNA end to end, the strands would stretch from the Earth to the Moon about 6,000 times.