Question

"The sex of a newborn child is a matter of chance and none of the parents may be considered responsible for it". Draw a flow chart showing determination of sex of a newborn to justify this statement.

'It is a matter of chance whether a couple will give birth to a male child or a female child." Justify this statement with the help of a flow chart showing the fusion of sex chromosomes.

Answer 1

The sperm has either X or Y chromosome, while the egg has only X chromosome. So, if the sperm carrying Y chromosome fuses with the egg, it results in the formation of a male child; and if the sperm carrying X chromosome fuses with the egg, it results in the formation of a female child.

Thus, there is an equal chance of fusion of either X or Y chromosome with the egg. Therefore, we can say that the sex of a newborn child is a matter of chance and none of the parents are responsible for it.

Sex determination in humans is shown below:-