How Parents' Genetic Contributions Differ

It is an oversimplification to say that our genes are composed of a fifty-fifty split of our parents' genetic material. There are some characteristics we only get from one parent, which can manifest as abnormalities like color blindness. This video from ASAPScience explains more about some of these features, which can be traced back to genes found on sex chromosomes. Men can only inherit a Y chromosome from their father, and get their X from their mother.

One study found that in rodent models, genes tended to favor the copy that was derived from the male parent. That was also true of the brain. But we tend to see the opposite in people, with human brains tending to resemble the mother's. However, those are generalizations. In individuals, the differences or similarities may be more or less pronounced.