This post has nothing to do with Christmas but is just something I learned about in biochemistry that BLEW MY MIND!
So, in each and every one of our cells we have DNA. The exact same amount and the exact same copies of every gene and every chromosome lies in each and every single cell in our body. It is estimated that humans have somewhere in the ballpark of 10 trillion cells that make up our bodies! And, with each cell only 10 micrometers in diameter, it is no wonder that cells are invisible to the naked eye.
Now chew on this: DNA is made up of individual molecules called nucleotides. A long chain of nucleotides linked together makes up a single strand of DNA and, with the help of proteins, eventually our chromosomes. It is estimated that humans have around 3 billion nucleotides that make up each individual’s genome… in other words, in each and every cell there are approximately 3 billion nucleotides linked together to make up our various chromosomes. The typical length of a single nucleotide is about 0.34 nanometers (where a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). So multiply 0.34 nm by 3 billion nucleotides in our cells and we get a total length of DNA in our cells to be about 1.02 meters!
I don’t know if it has hit you yet… but this means that in each and every one of our 10 trillion cells in our bodies, there is over a METER of DNA that must be packed into each and every cell! At first you think: no… no way this is impossible. And yet it is true… every cell contains the exact same amount of DNA (all 46 chromosomes) and this DNA codes for specific proteins and traits that make each person who they are.
So how do our cells (remember they are only 10 micrometers in diameter!) pack over a meter of DNA into their nuclei? It is a complicated process that I just learned this year, but basically we have many different proteins that allow the DNA to wrap and loop itself around to condense it as much as possible. Obviously this is an extremely complicated process because these proteins have to condense our DNA down from being over a meter in length to less than 10 micrometers to be able to fit into each cell…
It’s amazing what our body can do… and condensing our DNA is only one of the infinite number of amazing, awe-inspiring, and miraculous abilities of our cells.
On a side note, I would like to wish my friend Jasmine a very very happy birthday today!
