[Amazing] 25 Insane Trivia About Genetics And The Human Genome
Genetics is one of the fastest growing fields of science out there. It wasn’t until the 19th century that genetics even began. The field was started by Gregor Mendel. Mendel was a scientist and a friar who studied trait inheritance, that is the way that traits are passed down from their parents to their offspring. His observations led him to conclude that organisms inherit traits by way of “discrete units of inheritance”. In this way he basically came up with the idea of genes. These days the field has advanced almost unbelievably. Geneticists now study the function of genes across a wide array of disciplines. In fact, thanks to genetic engineering, millions of lives around the world have been saved. By creating higher yield crops by way of selective breeding, farmers in developing countries have actually managed to feed populations that would otherwise have starved. With all of these incredible advances as well as the mapping of the human genome, we now know more about the blueprint for human beings than ever before. Genes define the way your cells act and your cells define the way you act. Get ready because these are 25 insane trivia about genetics and the human genome!
Featured Image: pixabay
One group of 55 chimps in Africa has two times the genetic variability as all of humanity put together
Source: rpi.edu, Image: wikipedia
Europeans aren't the only people with blond hair. South Pacific islanders also evolved a gene for blond hair.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Our bodies may not be "allowed" to live very far beyond 120 years due to genetic caps regarding how many times our cells can divide
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Bananas are actually genetic hybrids. Thousands of years ago, humans crossed two strains to come up with today's tasty and sweet fruit.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Scientists have recently discovered huge viruses called Pandoraviruses. A vast majority of their genes cannot be traced back to anything so some scientists have suggested creating another domain of life
Source: sci-news.com
Elizabeth Taylor's dark eyes were due to a genetic mutation that gave her double lashes
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
When two sets of identical twins procreate with each other, their children are all siblings (genetically speaking)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In Vitro Fertilization allows you to choose the sex of your child
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Researchers at Liverpool found that the plaques of the Middle Ages made roughly 10% of Europeans genetically resistant to HIV.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
When scientists kept fruit flies in total darkness for 57 years, their descendants showed genetic adaptations that were useful for survival in such conditions
Source: plosone.org, Image: wikipedia
Roughly half of the DNA in our GI tract has no correlation to anything (animal, plant, bacteria, etc). Scientists have labeled it "biological dark matter".
Source: ted.com, Image: pixabay
One in every 4 million lobsters is born blue. They typically don't survive very long though.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic mutation that is actually advantageous to people living in malaria infested regions
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
There is a genetic mutation that makes your bones extremely dense. One man had bones that were more than 8 times as dense as a normal human. Needless to say, he would sink like a stone whenever he tried to swim.
Source: the-scientist.com, Image: wikipedia
Blue eyed people share a common ancestor who lived about 10,000 years ago around the Black Sea
Source: msnbc.com, Image: wikipedia
Cheetahs were nearly wiped out in the last ice age but a small population interbred and survived. For this reason, most cheetahs on Earth today are very, very close genetically
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Some women have a genetic condition that makes them tetrachromatic. This means they can see 100 million colors. Most people can only see 1 million.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
All people share a common genetic line that can be traced back to one woman who lived nearly 200,000 years ago. She has been dubbed "Mitochondrial Eve"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
A genetic disease known as Laron syndrome makes you shorter, gives you a longer life expectancy, and makes you all but immune to cancer or diabetes
Source: wikipedia
Monsanto Company has been producing seeds that become sterile after the first generation so that farmers can't replant them (yes, this has caused some outrage)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Only about 10% of cancers are due to genetics. The other 90% are typically caused by environmental factors
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
A condition known as methemoglobinemia caused by inbreeding resulted in the Fugates, a blue skinned family from Kentucky
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Although we mentioned earlier that the "lifespan cap" is around 120 years, the longest living human was Jeanne Calment of France. He died at 122 years old.
Source: wikipedia
We still don't know the function of more than 80% of our DNA
Source: mountsinai.on.ca, Image: pixabay
Your genes will determine whether you find the chemical phenylthiocarbamide to be tasteless or bitter. This is the chemical that gives brocolli and cabbage its taste
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
