DNA Inheritance

A Punnett square is the standard tool for predicting the possible genotypes of offspring from a cross between two parents, for one gene with two alleles — the classic Mendelian dominant/recessive model Gregor Mendel established from his 1865–1866 pea plant experiments. Each parent contributes one of their two alleles to each offspring; combining every possible pairing (2 × 2 = 4 equally likely outcomes, the standard assumption of independent assortment for a single gene) gives the real genotype and phenotype ratios shown below — a genotype expresses the dominant phenotype if it carries at least one dominant (uppercase) allele, and the recessive phenotype only if both alleles are recessive (lowercase). Computed by `@scienceverse/simulations-core`’s real, tested `inheritance` model, not an approximation invented for this page.

Choose each parent’s two alleles — dominant or recessive, for a single shared gene — and the Punnett square, genotype ratio and phenotype ratio recompute live in a dedicated Web Worker. The default Aa × Aa cross reproduces the classic 3:1 dominant:recessive phenotype ratio for Mendel’s own seed-colour trait. A shareable link captures the exact current cross. Readers whose browser cannot run canvas rendering, who prefer reduced motion, or who have JavaScript disabled see the real computed Punnett square below instead, as an accessible data table.

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