Yes, two people with a widow’s peak can have a child who also has a widow’s peak. The widow’s peak is a genetic trait that is typically inherited as a dominant allele, meaning that if either parent has the trait, there is a chance the child could inherit it.
Here’s how it works genetically:
- The widow’s peak trait is usually considered dominant (represented by “W”), while the lack of a widow’s peak is considered recessive (represented by “w”).
If both parents have a widow’s peak, their genetic makeup could be one of the following combinations:
- WW (homozygous dominant): They have two dominant alleles for widow’s peak.
- Ww (heterozygous): They have one dominant allele for widow’s peak and one recessive allele for no widow’s peak.
Possible outcomes for the child:
If both parents are Ww (heterozygous), meaning they carry one dominant allele (W) for widow’s peak and one recessive allele (w) for no widow’s peak, their child could inherit any of the following combinations:
- WW: The child would have a widow’s peak (homozygous dominant).
- Ww: The child would have a widow’s peak (heterozygous).
- ww: The child would not have a widow’s peak (homozygous recessive).
So, if both parents have widow’s peaks (even if they are heterozygous), there’s still a chance their child could inherit the recessive trait and not have a widow’s peak. But in general, it’s more likely that the child will inherit the widow’s peak because the dominant allele (W) is typically the one expressed.