Facts about Genes

Although the “Father of Genetics” Gregor Mendel conducted his experiments with pea plants in the mid-1800s, it was not until 1909 that Danish botanist Wilhelm Johansen became the first person to describe Mendel’s individual genetic components.

He called them hereditary – derived from pangenesis. , Charles Darwin’s term Now applied to the idea of false inheritance (Darwin suggested, among other theories, that acquired characteristics could be inherited).

What are Genes?

Genes are the functional units of genes because they are made of DNA. Genes are passed on or inherited from parents to their children. Normally genes are organized and packaged into chromosomes and genes consist of DNA or RNA that control the characteristics of the organism.

The scientific study of genes, genes, heredity, cell cycle, inheritance is called heredity. This is a branch of biology. William Bateson introduced the term genetics in 1905 followed by Wilhelm Johannes, a Danish botanist who in 1909 coined the term GENE.

From a scientific point of view, all living things on earth have some genetic similarities, because we all have a common ancestor

Humans are 95 percent genetically identical to chimpanzees and are also genetically related to other animals, such as dogs and cattle.

There are many other interesting and surprising aspects of genetics, and some of them are discussed point by point below.

For Example, if your parents have green eyes, you may inherit the green eye trait from them. Or if your mom has pimples, you might have pimples too because you inherited the pimple right. Genes are not only found in humans – all animals and plants have genes.

Interesting Facts About Genes

1. Heredity accounts for all the other genetic traits we inherit from our parents.
2. Humans have about 28,000 to 30,000 genes per cell and about 12,000 to 13,000 genes per chromosome.
3. Genome is a genetic entity, referring to the totality of genes in a cell that can be stored on one or more chromosomes.
4. Each gene in the chromosomes is basic information necessary to make specific proteins that are essential for the organism.
5. There are about 29 to 30 thousand genes in each cell of the human body and they are responsible for inheritance and therefore we all have the same characteristics of both parents, such as eye color, complexion, pigmentation, hair etc.
6. A gene is a continuous sequence of DNA that codes for a molecule with a function. Each gene carries a number of instructions, usually in code, that are used to perform a specific function or for a specific protein.
7. Genes take different forms and are collectively called alleles. In humans, it is classified as pairs of alleles for a particular gene and each chromosome contains a pair of alleles.
8. We humans are all very similar and this may be because we all share about 99 percent of the same genes. The remaining one percent is responsible for personality traits inherited from our parents.
9. Two copies of the gene are inherited from each parent. These are known as alleles, which play an important role in shaping the characteristics of individuals.
10. Identical babies have the same genes, but there are other factors that can affect their development, and end up with very different heights and other physical characteristics.

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