Alien Genetics Project

Objective: To use your knowledge of Genetics to create an alien Family.

Standard: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits.
40 POINTS
Here is what you need to do:
STEP 1: As a class, we will use the Trait Key to decide on dominant and recessive alleles for
each of the 11 traits our aliens will show.
STEP 2: Use the Alien Lab Activity Sheet and a penny to determine the genotypes for each
parent for all 11 traits.
STEP 3: Use the Punnett Square sheet to complete a Punnett square for all 11 traits (plus
gender) using the parent information you created in step 2.
Roll a dice to determine which genotype the alien baby will inherit. Roll the dice a
second time for a second alien baby. *Remember* to only use numbers 1, 2, 3, 4. If you roll a 5
or a 6, roll again! Record your results on the Alien Baby Outcome Sheet
STEP 4: Using construction paper or any other materials you like, create your alien family
photo album (two parents and two babies). Make sure your aliens show all of the correct
phenotypes!
STEP 5: Attach and turn in the following items:
Trait Key sheet
Alien Lab Activity sheet
Punnett Square sheet
Alien Baby Phenotypes sheet
Alien Family Photo Album

ALIEN LAB ACTIVITY SHEET

Purpose: To learn about dominant, recessive, and hybrid traits and how they affect the traits of an organism. To
distinguish between genotypes and phenotypes.
To determine
#
Trait
Parent 1
Parent 2
which alleles
Toss 1
Toss 2
Phenotype
Toss 1
Toss 2
Phenotype
1
Body Shape
the parents
will carry for
2
Head Shape
each of the 12
traits:
3
Legs
1. For each
4
Tail
trait, flip
the coin
5
Eyes
twice (toss
6
Mouth
1 and toss
2)
7
Color
2. If the
penny
8
Hair
lands on
9
Arms
HEADS,
then place
10
Nose
a capital
11
Ears
letter (H)
for a
12
Gender
X
Y
MALE
X
X
FEMALE
dominant
allele in
the column. If it lands on TAILS, then place a lower case letter (h) in the column for a recessive allele.
3. Repeat this process for Parent 2.

Punnett Squares

Body Shape
Head Shape

Legs

Tail

Eyes

Color

Hair

Ears

Mouth

Arms

Gender

Nose

Trait Key
#

TRAIT

Body
Shape
Head
Shape

Homozygous
Dominance
HH
Hh

Homozygous
Recessive
hh

Legs

Tail

Eyes

Mouth

7
8

Body
Color
Hair

Arms

1
0

Nose

11

Ears

Trait

Body Shape

Head Shape

Legs

Wings/Tail

Eyes

Mouth

Color

Hair

Arms

10

Nose

11

Ears

12

Gender

Baby #1
Phenotypes

Baby #2
Phenotypes

Alien Baby
Phenotypes

Follow up Questions
1. What is Genetics?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Name three genotypes Alien baby #1 shares with his dad.
A.__________

B. __________

C. __________

3. Name three phenotypes Alien baby #1 shares with his Mom.

A.__________
B. __________
C. __________
4. Name three heterozygous traits for the Alien Dad.
A.__________
B. __________
C. __________
5. Name three homozygous traits for the Alien Mom.
A.__________
B. __________
C. __________
6. Does Alien Baby #1 have any purebred traits? Name those
traits.______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
_
7. Does Alien Baby #1 have any hybrid traits? Name those traits.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. What alleles make up the Alien Dads head shape?__________

Examples