How did Timothy inherit attached earlobes despite both parents having free earlobes?

Timothy inherited attached earlobes, which are typically considered a trait linked to a recessive allele, despite both parents having free earlobes. For a person to express a recessive trait like attached earlobes, they must inherit two copies of the recessive allele, one from each parent.

In this case, even though his parents exhibit free earlobes (the dominant trait), it is possible that both parents are heterozygous, carrying one dominant allele for free earlobes and one recessive allele for attached earlobes. When Timothy inherited one recessive allele from each parent, he would express the attached earlobe trait. This scenario illustrates how traits governed by recessive alleles can appear in offspring even if those traits are not present in the parents, provided both parents carry the recessive allele.