HUMAN REPRODUCTION

Parents pass on their characteristics to their young when they reproduce.

The characteristics that are easily seen and are passed on from our parents to us are usually part of our appearance, such as height, type of ear lobes, presence of dimples, and the colour of our eyes, skin and hair.

Some characteristics that are passed on to us by our parents cannot be observed, for example our blood type.

In both humans and flowering plants, characteristics are passed on from parents to their young through sexual reproduction. 

Sexual reproduction involves a male and a female.

In humans, fertilisation takes place inside the body of the female.

A male has two sex organs — the testis and penis.

The testes produce sperms, which are the male reproductive cells.

A female has three sex organs — the ovary, womb and vagina.

The ovaries produce eggs, which are the female reproductive cells.

The fusion of a sperm and an egg is called fertilisation.

The fertilised egg develops into a baby in the mother’s womb.