<p> YEAR 10 SCIENCE HOMEWORK – 1 / EVOLUTION </p><p>Inheritance and Environment </p><p>Many of the characteristics that make us unique (hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, physical features) are inherited. That is, they are passed on from parents to their children. It is now known that it is the DNA in cells that each parent contributes to a new offspring that transmits these characteristics. </p><p>However, some characteristics are not inherited directly from the parents, but they happen as a result of interacting with the world around us (an organism’s environment). For example, scars, tans, and hair dye are all the result of our environment changing our characteristics (accidentally, gradually or deliberately). Some characteristics come from a combination of both inheritance and the environment – for example, you might have inherited a fairly dark skin, but spending heaps of time in the sun has made it even darker. </p><p>Sometimes it is difficult to see if a characteristic has been inherited or is environmental. You probably have the same language and similar accent as your parents, but that’s not inherited – instead, you both got it from the same environment around you. </p><p>Write all answers in full sentences.</p><p>1. Where does an organism get its characteristics from?</p><p>2. What is an organism’s environment?</p><p>3. What does your DNA have to do with your characteristics?</p><p>4. How can your characteristics be influenced by both your parents and the world you live in.</p><p>5. Twin Studies are where scientists compare two identical twins (with exactly the same DNA) that have been raised in different places. Why would they be useful when studying inherited characteristics?</p><p> QUIZ- Write true or false next to each statement</p><p>1. Characteristics can be influenced by both, the genes from the parents and the environment ______</p><p>2. Scars and tan are examples of inherited characteristics ______</p><p>3. DNA is present in our genes ______</p><p>4. Genetic diseases can be spread from one person to another ______</p><p>5. Identical twins have everything in common ______</p><p>Paste this homework sheet in your science book. </p>