• Question: why are some people left handed while others are right handed

    Asked by ledw to Christina, Colin, Jess, Samaneh, Steve on 24 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by 10rolashb.
    • Photo: Christina Pagel

      Christina Pagel answered on 24 Jun 2013:

      I think handedness is due to genes (at least partly) – two left handed parents are more likely to have a left handed child… and apparently your position in the womb can also affect your handedness!

Comments

  • Photo: 10doljosb

    10doljosb commented on :

    my parents are not left handed but I am, why is this!

    • Photo: Christina

      Christina commented on :

      it’s possible that if there’s a genetic part to it, it’s a recessive gene (that means that you need two copies of the gene (one from each parent) to be left handed) – so if your parents has one right handed gene and one left handed gene each, they could both be right handed but if they each gave you their left handed gene then you’d be left handed..

      or it could be some thing to do without how you lay in the womb or something else entirely!