Two parents who are each known to be carriers of an autosomal recessive allele have four children. None of the children has the recessive condition. What is the probability that one or more of the children is a carrier of the recessive allele?

Key Concepts

Autosomal Recessive Inheritance

Autosomal recessive inheritance occurs when a trait or condition is expressed only when an individual has two copies of a recessive allele. Carriers, who possess one dominant and one recessive allele, do not exhibit the condition but can pass the recessive allele to their offspring. In this scenario, both parents are carriers, meaning each child has a chance of inheriting the recessive allele.

Punnett Square

A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the genetic makeup of offspring from two parents. By organizing the possible alleles from each parent, it allows for the calculation of probabilities for various genotypes and phenotypes in the offspring. In this case, it can help determine the likelihood of the children being carriers of the recessive allele.

Probability of Inheritance

The probability of inheritance refers to the likelihood that a specific genetic trait will be passed from parents to offspring. In the context of this question, it involves calculating the chances that at least one of the four children inherits the recessive allele from the carrier parents. This can be determined using the probabilities derived from the Punnett square and the principles of independent assortment.