18 Things You Should Know About Genetics
(1)Your genes make you, you! Genes make up the set of instructions that is given to you from your MOTHER and your FATHER.
(2)Almost every CELL of almost every living thing stores this information on their DNA.
(3)DNA can be found on long strands of CHROMOSOMES.
(4)One gene is a specific SEQUENCE of DNA found on the chromosome that provides specific instructions.
(5)DNA takes on the form a double helix or twisted LADDER.
(6)The STEPS of the DNA ladder are made from 4 chemical bases; adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine.
(7)The particular ORDER of the bases determines the species of the organism as well as its characteristics.
(8)The SIDES of the DNA ladder are composed of alternating sugar and phosphate groups.
(9)The HUMAN genome is made up of 3.2 billion base pairs.
(10)The human genome would take 9.5 YEARS to read out loud without stopping.
(11)It would take a person FIFTY (50) years to type the entire human genome if they were typing 10 words per minute for 8 hours a day.
(12)The DNA from one cell would extend more than six (6) feet long and all of the DNA from all of the cells could reach to the MOON about 6,000 times.
(13)All of the human genome would take up about THREE (3) gigabytes of memory.
(14)Your entire DNA sequence would take up 200 NYC telephone books.
(15)Human DNA is about 99.9% IDENTICAL; only about 0.1% of the genetic makeup differs among humans.
(16)Less than 2% of the DNA codes for making proteins, the rest is called junk DNA because it doesn’t currently appear to code for anything.
(17)It takes human DNA about EIGHT (8) hours to copy its entire sequence.
(18)You are you because of your genes. It makes us all the same but grants you with distinct differences that make you UNIQUE.