Scientists believe each gene in your body could make up to 10 different proteins, which means your body could be made up of over 300,000 different proteins! These proteins are the building blocks of everything in your body, from bones, teeth, and hair to muscles, blood, and organs. Your specific DNA code provides your body with specific instructions for making proteins within your body's cells. Every person has 25,000-35,000 different genes, which means there are a nearly-endless number of possible combinations. How is this possible? While some traits and characteristics come from a single gene, many others come from a combination of genes. It's like a code or set of instructions for making the one and only you! Although much of your DNA is similar to other human beings (and even many other animals), no other creature has your exact same DNA! These segments are what we call genes, and they're simply made up of DNA with different patterns of A, T, C, and G. This winding, dual structure is known as the double helix, and it allows DNA to pass along biological instructions with great precision.Įach chromosome contains segments of DNA that correspond to and determine specific traits and characteristics. DNA's actual structure within the cell looks like a twisted ladder. Most cells in your body have 23 pairs of chromosomes, or a total of 46. They're so thin and tiny that each cell in your body has about six feet of DNA thread! That means your entire body has about three billion miles of DNA in it.ĭNA wraps together to form structures called chromosomes. These chemicals that make up DNA are strung together in long, coiled strands within your cells. Scientists usually shorten these to simply A, T, C, and G. DNA exists inside your body's cells and is made up of four chemicals: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. To understand what genes are, you must first learn about the building blocks of life: your DNA. Do you know why you have blue eyes? Or blonde hair? If you've ever WONDERed about the traits and characteristics you have and how you came to have them, you may have been told that the answer lies in your genes.
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