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Colour Blind

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krugs | 15:57 Tue 23rd Jan 2001 | Body & Soul
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Why are only men afflicted with colour blindness?

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From what I remember, its because the colour blindness gene is attached to the Y chromosome, which females do not have. (Males have XY, females have XX)
It is genetic, but women can be carriers of the defect and pass it on to their children. In this country, about 8% males and less than 1% femals have the problem.
My grandfather was red/green colour blind. I'm male & not colour blind but my mum can't see brown/green, - well mushroom's in a field. & Mum is supposed to be a carrier.
Piljim has it backwards - the tendency for colour blindness is caused by the absence of a gene. The normal gene is acrried by the X chromosome, so men only need to inherit one duff gene to be affected. women will get it too, but only if they get two duff genes. A woman with only one faulty gene is a carrier and has a 50% chance of her sons being affected.

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