Human DNA is beyond amazing. What we know for sure about her is that she carries our genes to the next generations. Everything we are is encoded in it.
But did you know that a strand of your DNA can span the distance between the Earth and the Sun as much as 600 times if strung in a straight line?
Strung like a rope, human DNA takes on impressive proportions. The DNA cells in a single human body number approximately 100 trillion. Imagine the scale!
We are all 99.9% the same
This is because we all belong to the human species. A one percent difference gives us the ability to distinguish our family tree from the rest.
We humans are over 98% identical to chimpanzees
The difference between us and these apes is only 1.2%. Our last common ancestor lived about 6 million years ago. After billions of years of evolution, we will share common genes from all living things on earth.
Genes make up only 3% of DNA
Many people think that DNA is made up of genes that are passed down through generations. This is only part of the truth.
DNA actually carries 3% of genes. The remaining 97% of its composition was considered "junk" until recently. Scientists have found that this non-coding DNA controls gene activity. These cells contain switches that turn on genes or turn off certain programming compounds.
