The ability of humans to taste the bitter chemical phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is a genetic trait. People with at least one copy of the normal, dominant allele of the PTC gene can taste PTC; those who are homozygous for a mutant, recessive allele cannot taste it. Could two parents able to taste PTC have a nontaster child? Could nontaster parents have a child able to taste PTC? A pair of taster parents, both of whom had one parent able to taste PTC and one nontaster parent, are expecting their first child. What is the chance that the child will be able to taste PTC? Unable to taste PTC? Suppose the first child is a nontaster. What is the chance that their second child will also be unable to taste PTC?
