Genes and DNA

Inside the nucleus are chromosomes

Chromosome = 1000s of coils of genes

Genes = comprise ‘DNA’ that decides our characteristics

DNA = deoxyribonucleicacid (chemical)

Each gene acts as a code for a particular characteristic

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A human egg cell and sperm cell contains 23 chromosomes

Embryo therefore contains 23 pairs of chromosomes

Each pair contains a gene from your mother, and a gene from your father for a particular characteristic

So each pair contains two “options” for a characteristic

These options are called alleles e.g. gene = eye colour; alleles = blue eye colour, brown eye colour

DNA and the Human Genome Project

This Video gives you a brief introduction to DNA with a graphic of the double helix stricture.

This video explains how to sequence the Human Genome which is a result of the work done on the Human Genome Project.

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