DNA Facts

 

 

How about a list of DNA facts, the interesting ones!
  1. DNA is found in all living things.
  2. DNA is a double helix.
  3. The structure of DNA can be likened to a twisted ladder.
  4. The rungs of the ladder are made up of “bases”
  5. Adenine (A) is a base.
  6. Thymine (T) is a base.
  7. Cytosine (C) is a base
  8. Guanine (G) is a base.
  9. A always pairs with T in DNA.
  10. C also pairs with G in DNA.
  11. The sides of the DNA ladder is made of sugars and phosphate atoms.
  12. The DNA ladder usually twists to the right.
  13. Almost all the cells in our body have DNA with the exception of red blood cells.
  14. DNA is the “blueprint” of life.
  15. Humans have 46 chromosomes.
  16. One chromosome can have as little as 50 million base pairs or as much as 250 million base pairs.
  17. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is found in the mitochondria.
  18. mtDNA is only passed from the mother to the child because only eggs have mitochondria, not sperm.
  19. There’s a copy of our entire DNA sequence in every cell of our body with one exception.
  20. Our entire DNA sequence is called a genome.
  21. There’s an estimated 3 billion DNA bases in our genome.
  22. A complete 3 billion base genome would take 3 gigabytes of storage space.
  23. Over 99% of our DNA sequence is the same as other humans’.
  24. Genes are pieces of DNA passed from parent to offspring that contain hereditary information.
  25. It would take a person typing 60 words per minute, eight hours a day, around 50 years to type the human genome.
  26. Changes in the DNA sequence are called mutations.
  27. DNA is affected by the environment; environmental factors can turn genes on and off.
  28. DNA tests can help you understand your risk of disease.
  29. A DNA mutation or variation may be associated with a higher risk of a number of diseases, including breast cancer.
  30. DNA tests can help you understand your ethnic make-up.
  31. DNA can be stored either as cells on a cotton swab, buccal brush, or frozen blood or in extracted form.
  32. The odds that two individuals will have the same 13-loci DNA profile is about one in one billion.
  33. Identical twins share 100% of their genes. How about a few more of some DNA facts.
  34. Siblings share 50% of their genes.
  35. A parent and child share 50% of their genes.
  36. We eat DNA every day.
  37. DNA tests can help you understand your Genealogy.
  38. There are many ways you can analyze your DNA using commercially available tests.
  39. Your DNA can tell you the story of your family history; get your DNA analyzed at Family Tree DNA

 

 

 

DNA facts and your Genealogy


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