Abstract
The word ‘phenotype’ is a biological term and is best explained by examining the differences between the ‘phenotype’ and ‘genotype’ of living organisms…
Genotype
gen·o·type
[jen–uh-tahyp, jee-nuh-] – noun, Genetics
The “internally coded, inheritable information”
carried by all living organisms. This stored information is used as a “blueprint”
or set of instructions for building and maintaining a living creature, written in a coded language (the genetic code).
Phenotype
phe·no·type
[fee-nuh-tahyp, fen–uh-] – noun, Genetics
The “outward, physical manifestation”
of the organism. In other words, the way the end result of the instructions contained within the organism’s genotype, modified by the influence of the organism’s environment.
In English then…
To give a simple example, your genes may dictate that you will have blue eyes, grow to 180cm tall and have a strong physique.
If you grow up somewhere without adequate food then you will still probably have blue eyes, but may not grow to be so tall. Similarly, if you have an accident and lose an arm, the fact that you only have one arm is not a result of your genetic makeup, but a consequence of unfortunate circumstances.
Therefore, our phenotype is the product of our genotype and our environment and our life experiences, or, in other words, “the outward physical manifestation of internally coded, inheritable, information.”
More reads
Check out our work on the BBC
It doesn’t happen often that some of our work appears on mass media, so please excuse our blatant plugging.
Elephant & Castle What’s On Hub – Sam has a chat
Last week Sam was invited to do the weekly chat with the lovely folks from Re-Tribe as part of Elephant and Castle’s What’s On Hub.
Practically output – Our working summer 2020
It has been a busy summer for us here since March 2020. Here are just some of the design-led projects that we have completed in this time. Adapted from a show and tell presentation by Anna and Sam.