Assignment 3.

6: Celebrity Baby

Celebrity Names: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson

1
Photo Source: https://www.popsugar.com/love/Daniel-Radcliffe-Sex-Virginity-Interview-2014-35323301
2
Photo Source: https://www.nylon.com/articles/emma-watson-bangs-2016

Facial Traits
The two facial trait presented here are the following:
1. Earlobe Attachment: Earlobe attachment determines if your earlobes are
either free-hanging or affixed to your face's side. It is known that this
characteristic results from a single gene and exhibits two specific features,
detached and attached earlobes respectively. Detached earlobes are
considered as having the dominant type while small fractions of humans
possess the recessive form of their lobe being fixed.

2. Widow's Peak: A widows peak refers to the indentation that forms in the
center of ones hairline. This characteristic manifests as a V shape and occurs
due to an inherited dominant gene. On the contrary. Individuals with straight
hairlines lack this physical trait because they possess recessive genes.
For illustration purposes, let us take into account two popular figures within the
acting sphere: namely Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. It is worth noting here
that while possessing attached earlobes may suggest affiliation with predominantly
recessive traits; indeed Mr Radcliffe showcases this feature regardlessof his
impressive display of widow's peak which results from dominancy within his genetic
makeup.Onthe other handlooking at Ms Watsontraits which include detached
earlopes signifie heightened manifestationsof dominance-related inheritance
indications complemented by straight hairline attributes registering noteworthy
absence of dominancy-related features like 'widow peaks', presenting interesting
differences between these two actors' genetic profiles.
GENOTYPES
Daniel Radcliffe
1. Earlobe Attachment: aa (recessive, both alleles for attached earlobes)
2. Widow's Peak: WW (dominant, both alleles for a widow's peak)
Exploring the complex workings of meiosis yields insight into why Daniel Radcliffe
possesses certain distinctive features like his fastened earlobes and well-known
widow's peak. Meiosis is an exceptional form of cell division that only occurs in
reproductive cells; it entails mixing up genetic material before disbursing it
throughout new cells.
Let's talk about Daniel's attached earlobes. His genetic makeup, or genotype, for
earlobe attachment is aa. This means that he inherited two recessive alleles for
attached earlobes, one from each parent. It suggests that both of his parents have at
least one copy of the recessive allele for attached earlobes. When his parents
created their reproductive cells (sperm and egg) during meiosis, there was a process
called recombination or crossing over. This allowed the genetic material from their
two copies of the earlobe attachment gene to mix and match. As a result, the parents
produced reproductive cells carrying the recessive allele for attached earlobes.
When Daniel was conceived, these cells combined during fertilization, giving him the
aa genotype and the trait of attached earlobes.
Now let's talk about Daniel's widow's peak. His genotype for this trait is WW,
meaning he inherited two dominant alleles for a widow's peak, one from each parent.
This suggests that both of his parents have the dominant allele for a widow's peak.
During meiosis, as the parents produced their reproductive cells, they passed down
one copy of the widow's peak gene to Daniel. In this case, there was no need for
recombination or crossing over since both parents possessed the dominant allele.
So, Daniel inherited the dominant alleles for a widow's peak from his parents,
resulting in his genotype and the expression of this facial feature.
By understanding how these genetic traits are passed down through meiosis, we
can see how Daniel Radcliffe got his attached earlobes and widow's peak from his
parents.
Emma Watson:
1. Earlobe Attachment: AA (dominant, both alleles for detached earlobes)
2. Widow's Peak: ww (recessive, both alleles for a straight hairline)
Let's take a look at how Emma Watson inherited her traits of detached earlobes
and a straight hairline from her parents, by understanding the process of meiosis.
Meiosis is the special cell division that creates reproductive cells like sperm and
eggs, and it involves shuffling and distributing genetic material.
Starting with Emma's detached earlobes, her genetic makeup or genotype is AA,
which means she received two dominant alleles for detached earlobes, one from
each parent. This suggests that both of her parents have the dominant allele for
detached earlobes. During meiosis, when her parents were producing their
reproductive cells, they passed down one copy of the detached earlobe gene to
Emma. Since both parents have the dominant allele, there was no need for any
recombination or crossing over in this case. Emma inherited the dominant alleles for
detached earlobes from her parents, resulting in her genotype and the expression of
this facial feature.
Moving on to the widow's peak trait, Emma has a genotype of ww, indicating that
she inherited two recessive alleles for a straight hairline, one from each parent. This
suggests that both of her parents carry at least one copy of the recessive allele for a
straight hairline. During meiosis, as the parents were creating their reproductive
cells, each parent would have gone through recombination or crossing over, where
genetic material from their two copies of the widow's peak gene is exchanged. As a
result, the parents would have produced reproductive cells carrying the recessive
allele for a straight hairline. When Emma was conceived, these cells combined
during fertilization, giving her the ww genotype and the associated trait of a straight
hairline.
By understanding the process of meiosis and the inheritance of these traits, we
can see how Emma Watson inherited her detached earlobes and straight hairline
from her parents.
 PUNNETT SQUARES
1. Earlobe Attachment

a a

A Aa Aa

A Aa Aa

Genotype ratio: 4 Aa (detached earlobes) to 0 aa (attached earlobes)

Phenotype ratio: All offspring will have detached earlobes.

2. Widow’s Peak

W W

w wW wW

w wW wW

Genotype ratio: 4 Ww (widow's peak) to 0 ww (straight hairline)

Phenotype ratio: All offspring will have a widow's peak.
 CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES
If celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are unable to conceive
naturally or if they have a specific desire for their child to inherit one of their
recessive facial traits, there is a technology that can assist them – it's called In Vitro
Fertilization (IVF).
IVF is an advanced reproductive technology that can help celebrities, just like
Daniel and Emma, in their journey to have a child when natural conception is not
possible or when they have specific preferences. The IVF process involves
stimulating the woman's ovaries to produce multiple eggs, which are then collected
through a minor surgical procedure. These eggs are then fertilized with sperm in a
laboratory, creating embryos. These embryos are carefully monitored and nurtured
to support their development.
To ensure that the child inherits a specific trait, such as one of the partner's
recessive traits, a technique called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) can be
used. PGD allows for the genetic analysis of embryos before they are implanted into
the woman's uterus. A few cells are extracted from each embryo, and genetic testing
is performed to identify specific traits or genetic conditions. In the case of celebrities
like Daniel and Emma, this technique can be used to screen the embryos and select
those carrying the desired recessive trait, while excluding those that don't.
Once the embryos with the desired trait are identified, they can be carefully
transferred to the woman's uterus for implantation. These selected embryos have the
potential to develop into a pregnancy, granting celebrities the opportunity to have a
child with the desired facial trait. IVF with PGD offers a reliable and controlled
method to ensure certain traits in offspring, providing individuals or couples with the
chance to have a child while considering specific genetic characteristics.
 REFERENCES
American Pregnancy Association. (2021, July 27). In Vitro Fertilization: IVF.
Retrieved from https://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/in-vitro-fertilization/
Block, T. (2020, August 5). Daniel Radcliffe on Sex and Virginity Interview 2014 |
POPSUGAR Love & Sex. POPSUGAR Love & Sex.
https://www.popsugar.com/love/Daniel-Radcliffe-Sex-Virginity-Interview-2014-
35323301
Deczynski, R. (2016). Emma Watson Is Now Rocking Fringe. Nylon.
https://www.nylon.com/articles/emma-watson-bangs-2016
Hernandez, S. (2023, January 13). What to Know About Widow’s Peak. WebMD.
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/what-to-know-about-widows-peak
News-Medical.net. (2021, April 30). Genetics of Earlobes. https://www.news-
medical.net/health/Genetics-of-Earlobes.aspx