Dominant traits in genetics are those that appear in individuals who carry just one copy of the specific gene. In other words, a dominant trait is visible in individuals who are heterozygous. In contrast, recessive traits only manifest when an individual carries two copies of the gene, meaning they are homozygous. Some examples of disorders caused by dominant genes include achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism characterized by short limbs; familial hypercholesterolemia, which can lead to early heart disease; Huntington's disease, a progressive neurological disorder once suffered by folk singer Woody Guthrie; neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a neurological condition that increases the risk of tumor development; and adult-onset polycystic kidney disease.These dominant traits usually stem from genes located on the autosomes, which are the chromosomes that do not determine sex. Consequently, both males and females are equally likely to exhibit these traits, and they typically experience them with similar severity. A dominant gene can be passed down through generations, and each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the gene and showing the related disease.
