Can a mixed race couple's children favour the Caucasian genes, or will they always appear more Asian?

Question

Would it be possible for a couple with red hair and black hair (part Asian heritage), respectively, to have children with light (red, blond, light brown) hair?

I've always assumed that the dark hair-dark eyes of the Asian genes is overwhelmingly dominant and will universally express in offspring, but apparently this isn't the case, as I know someone who's about 1/2 Chinese 1/2 western European who popped up with bright green eyes.

This piqued my interest, and I'm wondering if it's possible for a mixed couple's children to favour the Caucasian?

Answer 1

My wife's cousin who is chinese (with white wife) has a daughter that you could not even tell that she is half white, half oriental (and she is gorgeous).  She looks white with light hair.  Her brother Gar also looks white but you might guess he has some other genes as well.  

Answer 2

one never knows - my son (white) married chinese - first born daughter, favors my son including dirty blond hair, obviously white.   second born - son, favors his mother, obviously chinese.  

Answer 3

If you have a couple with red and black hair and is part Asian and they have children with light (red,blond,and brown) hair, it is only possible to have those children if the couple has a recessive gene pertaining to light color hair.  

one of the spouses in the couple must have a light hair color gene in order to have a chance.

Most likely, the couple with the 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 western European child has parents who originate from both china and western Europe. In addition, both parents are most likely are 100 percent in the race or they both have 50 percent of Chinese and Western European in order for their children to have their gene to be 50/50.

Firstly, the blond gene is dominant. the offspring in this case will have traits from both sides.

there will not be a dominant appearance if they give 50/50 to their offspring.

Answer 4

There is a difference between the phenotype (appearance) and genotype (genes expressed on the DNA strands) in all life forms.

Often, as in the case of human eye color, several different genes are required to be active before the color of the eyes is determined.  This is not as simple as Mendeleev's smooth peas and wrinkled peas.  Hair and skin color and other phenotypes (for example, facial features) can be as complex.

There is also the question as to how "pure" the parents' genetic code is.  DNA studies have provided evidence that there are wider variations within population groups than was previously believed.

The best answer to your question, is Yes.  The concept of dominant and recessive genes is often too simple a model to explain the results.

Answer 5

It is possible.  The Asian parent would have to be a mix as well.  If it is a 'pure' Asian the chances are very slim because the darker genes would always win out.  

If the Asian parent is a 50/50 mix the child would have a 50% chance of being light

If they are 25 caucasian/ 75 Asian it would be around 25% for being light

If they are 75% caucasian/ 25% Asian it should be around 75% for something being light.

Answer 6

It is not. I come from northern Italy, my wife is Chinese. Our first son has light brown hairs, dark brown eyes.

Our daughter (now too young to evaluate a final hairs colour) has a pointy chin typical of my family and , well , totally un-asian.

Basically both of them are a very complex (and nice) blend: above characters apart, it is quite hard to say where the Asian or the European starts  and ends. In China they are mistaken for completely "western", excluding when they call their mother or speak Chinese. In Italy  my son is mistaken sometimes for Finnish or North East European due to a slightly different shape of eyes.

All possibilities are open... and all are nice.

Kaycee and Sergey, as others ( Richard, Philonus, Jim, Kessie) explain very well, things are not so easy and mechanically determined.

Genetics is more complex in humans than in flies and peas.

The ethnic origins of my family are Celtic and Lombard German; My wife's origin are 100% Han Chinese and she comes from a pretty closed and internal area.

Meanwhile we all come from Lucy's neighbors in Africa, so for me the appearance will never be a problem

Answer 7

you can't choose how your children will look like and its not really up to them to decide how they want to look like. The question is just the same as asking "Can Jack be inclined to prefer the physical traits of his mother Sarah or will he always look like his father Joe?", what i'm trying to say here is that the combination of genes and the how the child will end up looking like does not necessarily have anything to do with race in general, its more of an individual case. It depends on parents, which traits of them are dominant. In some cases you'll have children with darker hair (Eastern asian), or in other cases blonde hair (Scandavian or European descent), it depends on the individual parents and their dominant or reccessive traits.

Answer 8

from what I've observed, the first generation of kids from a full Asian person and a white person look Asian. The next generation is where the variations begin to show.