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SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 2
THE BASIS OF HEREDITY
Whakapapa and Health
Many serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease and hypertension (high blood pressure) have
a genetic basis - some people are more likely to suffer from them because of the genes they have
inherited from their parents.
Knowing your whakapapa, and the history of health issues that have occurred in your whānau,
can help you manage your risks.
With new genetic tools, it is now possible to test a person’s DNA and see if they are carrying some
of the genes that may cause disease in the future.
1. Suggest how knowledge of your whakapapa can help when discussing your health with a
doctor. 


2. Suggest 3 additional steps you might take regarding your health if there is a history of
certain types of cancer, or heart disease in your whānau.
(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

3. A pedigree chart is a diagram similar to the one on the previous page, but which has more
information. For example, males are represented by squares, and people affected by the
disease being traced are shown coloured in.
Use the following pedigree chart to answer the questions below:
Hemi Mark
Nico
Aroha
Aria
Tane
Maia
Mary
John
Tama
(a) State the shape used to represent females. 
(b) Name Aroha’s parents. 
(c) Name the two people in the whānau who are affected by the disease.
		
(d) State what relation Tama is to Tane. 
(e) State how many children Tama and Mary have. 
(f) State how many children John has. 
(g) State how Tane and Nico are related. 
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