Our DNA is pretty amazing. This is actually the molecule that makes everything that has life to be what they are. It is perhaps the foundation of all living organisms. In this article, we are going to learn some few fun facts about the DNA and what actually made this molecule so interesting.
All humans are more than 99.9 percent identical.
All humans have a lot in common than we actually realize. On the genetic level, our genes are 99.9 percent alike and less than 1 percent different. This simply mean that the differences we see within the human population—such as eye color, height, blood type and skin color, is due to genetic differences that account for less than 1 percent.
Some DNA can disappear as species evolves.
In the course of evolution some genes tend to disappear. Humans for example initially had the ability do produce Vitamin C but latter on lost the ability to do so because the genes where no more. The most notable reason being that our ancestors probably ate so much fruit that there was never any need for the body to make its own Vitamin C...so the gene for synthesizing Vitamin C got lost.
When stretched, the DNA could reach the sun from the earth and back 600 times.
DNA are found in the chromosomes as stack of molecules that are tightly packed together. Studies have shown that if the entire DNA in the body are linked together one by one, the length could stretch from the earth to the sun and back 600 times. It probably means that when we uncoiled all DNA in a human and put it end to end, it would stretch billions of miles. That would be the same as a round trip to the sun 600 times.
Human DNA is made up of viruses
8 percent of the human genome is now made up of viruses that used to infect us and make us ill. Because humans have been exposed to several diseases through out the course of history, that situation have actually tweaked our genetic makeup a little bit.
We share 50 percent of our DNA with Bananas.
We probably know that we share around 95% of our DNA with some types of primate, probably gorilla -- but did you also know that we share 50% of our
DNA with fruits like bananas?
Each strands of DNA is 2 meters long and could still fit into a cell
Our entire body is made up of cells that are very minute, yet our DNA can still squeeze itself into them neatly...which is pretty amazing.
The DNA in every human cell gets damaged over 100 times everyday day
Do you know that your DNA is constantly repairing itself from continuous damage? It has been shown that our DNA get damaged over 100 times everyday -but have the ability to repair itself when that occur. Thanks to Ligase!
You could spend your entire life typing the Human Genome
It would take you over 50 years to type the entire human genome if you typed at a speed of 60 words-per-minute and worked 8 hours a day, every day. Our DNA is so detailed bro!
