Clown genetics
October 2nd, 2006Here’s a question that’s been troubling me.
It’s about the red rubber nose gene, most commonly seen in the North American clown. Is the gene dominant or recessive? If it’s dominant, why aren’t there more clowns? If it’s recessive, might I be a carrier of this gene, at risk for birthing a clown baby? And is it linked to the big floppy shoe gene? Or are clowns a natural mutation–and are they sterile, like mules?
Science never answers questions I care about.
That is an excellent question. I believe that it’s a recessive gene, because I have some clown friends. She has a red nose, he doesn’t. Their baby doesn’t have a red nose. Of course, it could be something that develops as the baby ages, like the spots on a dalmation.
Should I be checking my ancestral tree for clowns, then?