As a geneticist with a focus on human genetics, I can explain how blood types are inherited. Blood type is determined by a set of genes that we inherit from our parents. The most well-known blood group system is the ABO system, which is determined by three alleles: A, B, and O. Each person inherits two alleles, one from each parent, which together determine their blood type.

Here's how it works:


1. Alleles: The ABO gene has three possible alleles: A, B, and O. The allele O is recessive, while A and B are co-dominant, meaning that if you have one A and one B, you will have AB blood type.


2. Inheritance: Each parent contributes one allele to their offspring. For example, if one parent has type A (A, O) and the other has type B (B, O), the possible combinations for their child are A (A from one parent and O from the other), B (B from one parent and O from the other), AB (A from one parent and B from the other), or O (O from both parents).


3. Genotype and Phenotype: Your genotype is the genetic makeup that determines your blood type, while your phenotype is the observable expression of that genotype, which in this case is your blood type.


4. Other Factors: There are other blood group systems, such as Rh factor, which also play a role in determining the full blood type of an individual.

**Blood type inheritance is a classic example of Mendelian inheritance, following the principles of segregation and independent assortment.**

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Each biological parent donates one of their two ABO alleles to their child. A mother who is blood type O can only pass an O allele to her son or daughter. A father who is blood type AB could pass either an A or a B allele to his son or daughter.read more >>