Punnett square for earlobes. Geneticists use a grid—called a Punnett square—to display all possible gene combinations in genetic crosses. (The grid is named for Reginald Punnett, a British geneticist who developed the method in the early 1900s.) The figure on p. 224 is a Punnett square for a cross involving human earlobes. In humans, free earlobes (E) are dominant over attached earlobes (e).

Consequently, the gene pairs EE and Ee will result in free earlobes, while the gene pair ee results in attached earlobes. Consider a couple with genes as shown in the Punnett square below. Suppose the couple has seven children.

Let x represent the number of children with attached earlobes (i.e., with the gene pair ee). Find the probability distribution of x.

Transcribed Image Text:

Ee Ee Male Ee E Female E EE Ee Ee e Ee ee