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