DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the code for human life contained in cells. This code contains genes which are expressed when a cell divides or grows. That expressed code is fired off to create unique human (or other beings).

Every cell in a human body (or other life-form) has an exact copy of the same DNA in it’s nucleus. That DNA contains the genes that hold the “code” for how to build a given organism out of cells and proteins. The difference between cells is the difference between what genes are expressed when a cell grows or divides. All human cells start from one cell, the fertilized egg of a mother. This contains 1/2 fathers DNA and 1/2 mothers to create DNA unique to the child.

That fertilized egg cells splits, genes are expressed and turned into RNA, RNA is read by ribosomes, ribosomes create proteins out of building blocks called amino acids, proteins are the primary things a body uses to actively function.


Factoids tagged with "DNA"

Plants Have Senses Fact

Plant senses don’t work the same as human senses, but generally speaking, plants can see, hear, smell, feel, react, and even think.

Flamingos are Born Pink Myth

Flamingos aren’t born pink. They are born with gray feathers. Flamingos become pink as the age due to a diet of organisms like shrimp and red algae which are high in pigments called carotenoids.

Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Are Binary Myth

Studies have shown there is no single determinant of sex, gender, or sexuality. In terms of both sex (genetic) and gender (a social construct), a binary distinction of “male or female” fails to describe a wide range of humans in practice. Meanwhile, sexuality (a preference) eludes any simple categorization as well. Simply put, despite some binary aspects (for example a person either has a Y gene or they don’t), Gender, Sex, and Sexuality are all non-binary and each is instead a complex spectrum… and we can prove it with science and logic.

All Mammals Start as Female Myth

Mammals don’t start as females, they start as a blank slate with XX or XY genetic code, and for the first 5-6 weeks of gestation only the X gene expresses.

Some People are Born Gay Fact

Science suggests people are born in a range of places in the gay and transgender spectrum, with both nature and nurture playing a role in sexuality.

There are Different Blood Types Fact

There are four general blood types (A, B, AB, and O), each can be Rh ‘+’ or ‘-‘. Blood types differ by antigens on the surface of red blood cells.

Survival of the Fittest, Only the Strong Survive Myth

“Survival of the fittest” means that those who are best adapted to their environment thrive and tend to be favored by evolution due to “natural selection”. It does not mean that “only the most physically strong or mentally strong thrive”.

All Hot Dogs Contain Human DNA Myth

Not all hot dogs contain human DNA, but a 2015 study found 6 of the 345 hot dogs they studied contained human DNA, 4 of which were vegetarian products.

All Cells In a Human Start as One Cell Fact

All the cells in a human body start as one cell, a fertilized egg containing 1/2 the mothers DNA and 1/2 the fathers. That cell divides many times creating a unique human being.

Humans Have Many Different Types of Cells Fact

The human body has about 37 trillion cells, comprising 200 different types. Each cell has structures responsible for making hundreds of thousands of different proteins from 20 types of amino acids.

We Know How Complex Cells Evolved Fact

Complex cells (eukaryotes) likely evolved from single-celled organisms (prokaryotes) absorbing other prokaryotes, becoming single complex cells over time (endosymbiosis).