Albinism is a recessive trait in humans. A geneticist studies a series of families in which both parents are normal and at least one child has albinism. The geneticist reasons that both parents in these families must be heterozygotes and that albinism should appear in ¼ of the children of these families. To his surprise, the geneticist finds that the frequency of albinism among the children of these families is considerably greater than ¼. There is no evidence that normal pigmentation exhibits incomplete penetrance. Can you think of an explanation for the higher-than-expected frequency of albinism among these families?

Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)
11th Edition
ISBN:9781305251052
Author:Michael Cummings
Publisher:Michael Cummings
Chapter15: Genomes And Genomics
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 2QP: Hemophilia and color blindness are both recessive conditions caused by genes on the X chromosome. To...
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Albinism is a recessive trait in humans. A geneticist studies a series of families in which both parents are normal and at least one child has albinism. The geneticist reasons that both parents in these families must be heterozygotes and that albinism should appear in ¼ of the children of these families. To his surprise, the geneticist finds that the frequency of albinism among the children of these families is considerably greater than ¼. There is no evidence that normal pigmentation exhibits incomplete penetrance. Can you think of an explanation for the higher-than-expected frequency of albinism among these families? 

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