Genetics: What Makes You Unique?
Have you ever wondered why you have blue eyes? Or why you and your mom have the same type of hair? This is all thanks to genetics!
Genetics is the study of heredity and genes and explains how living organisms inherit certain traits from their parents. Examining genetics, or someone’s genes, allows us to look inside a human cell and discover the exact formulas that make each of us unique.
So what are genes and how do they lead to the expression of certain characteristics in humans? Genes are the fundamental component of heredity and consist of DNA and chromosomes, which work together to create various proteins that help our bodies function. Genes carry information and are responsible for deciding how tall we grow, what hand we write with, or even certain allergies. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside cells that contain DNA and govern how cells function. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, a total of 46 individual chromosomes, in each cell that regulate the way the cells behave. Each pair usually consists of one chromosome with the mother’s character traits and one with the father’s. There are various types of chromosomes that determine many things about humans. For example, 1 out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes will determine whether you are a boy or a girl. These are called sex chromosomes.
The genetic information inside the chromosomes is called DNA. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and is responsible for maintaining the functionality of the body. DNA has a complex structure called a double helix made of sugars, phosphates, and bases. The double helix structure looks similar to a twisted ladder, with the sugars and phosphates composing the sides of the ladder, and the bases forming the rungs. In DNA, there are 4 different bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. The four bases are repeated over and over in varying orders to create a unique chain of instruction. Human DNA contains over 3 billion pairs of these bases and is important in the formula for the cell-controlling proteins. These components hold distinctive genetic codes that program for diverse characteristics in cells and are responsible for the differences between human beings and any other species.
Picture Source: sciencemag.org
