Why traits such as intelligence and knowledge cannot be passed on to the next generation?

(i) Genetics is a branch of biology that deals with heredity and variation.

(ii) Father of Genetics: Gregor Johann Mendel.

(iii) The transmission of characters from one generation to the next is called heredity.

(iv) Variations arising during the process of reproduction can be inherited. These variations may lead to increased survival of the individuals.

2. Mendel's experiment:

(i) Sexually reproducing individuals have two copies of genes for the same trait. If the copies are not identical, the trait that gets expressed is called the dominant trait, and the other is called the recessive trait.

(ii) Alleles represent the alternative forms of a gene or unit factor.

(iii) Test cross-refers to a cross in which a dominant phenotype organism is crossed with the homozygous recessive genotype organism to determine whether the dominant phenotype organism has homozygous dominant and heterozygous genotypes.

(iv) Mendel described the inheritance of one gene (monohybrid crosses) and the inheritance of two genes (dihybrid crosses).

(v) Phenotypic ratio of a monohybrid cross is1:2:1, while a dihybrid cross is 9:3:3:1.

(vi) At the molecular level, DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) controls the inheritance of traits from one generation to the next.

3. Sex determination:

Different factors in various species determine the determination of sex of an offspring. In human beings, the sex of the child depends on pair of chromosomes called sex chromosomes is XX(for girls) or XY (for boys).