DNA was first isolated in 1869 by Friedrich Miescher.
The amount of A is equal to the amount of T, same for C and G.
A+C = T+G
Bases attached to a sugar; this complex is called a nucleoside.
Sugar + phosphate + base = nucleotide.
Almost all the cells in our body have DNA with the exception of red blood cells.
One chromosome can have as little as 50 million base pairs or as much as 250 million base pairs.
Mitochondrial DNA is only passed from the mother to the child because only eggs have mitochondria, not sperm.
There’s an estimated 3 billion DNA bases in our genome.
A complete 3 billion base genome would take 3 gigabytes of storage space.
99.9% of our DNA sequence is the same as other humans’.
The average gene is 10,000 to 15,000 bases long.
Introns are intervening sequences sometimes called “junk DNA.”
Part of “junk DNA” help to regulate the genomic activity.
There are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes in our genome.
Genes make up only about 2-3% of our genome.
DNA is affected by the environment; environmental factors can turn genes on and off.
Identical twins share 100% of their genes, whereas siblings share 50% of their genes.
Humans and chimps share anywhere between 94 – 99 % of their DNA
Our genes are remarkably similar to those of other life forms. For example, we share 98% of our genes with chimpanzees, 90% with mice, 85% with zebra fish, 21% with worms, and 7% with a simple bacterium such as E. coli.
Less than 2% of the total DNA carries instructions to make proteins. The rest is misleadingly called ‘junk’ DNA, because it is a hodge-podge of sequences that does not seem to code for anything.
