ciandarcy93-blog

[ciandarcy93-blog]

[ciandarcy93-blog]

DNA….So why is it so F**KING awesome

Well if you don’t remember your secondary school education your DNA (deoxyribosenucleic acid…ya big words!) is basically a blueprint for, well, you. It’s a mishmash of your father and mother’s DNA that equals you. There is the same copy of this blue print in every single one of the cells in your body, of which you have around 30 trillion…yes trillion with a T. So, before we get into the amazing things your DNA does its good to grasp the size of the entire DNA stashed away in your body. Each of your 30 TRILLION cells has around 2 metres of DNA in it which is estimated to be enough to go, around the solar system twice (science focus, 2011), very far!

Interesting things happen when this DNA must be copied to make a new cell in a process known as mitosis. So, as you can imagine 2m of DNA in your tiny cell takes up a lot of space so it must be compacted…like a lot. It’s all coiled up like one of those ancient phone cables from when phones were connected to the wall see google images for more…The DNA is a double helix structure, meaning its two strands wrapped around each other.So, for DNA to start building you, the coil of DNA has to be accessible so an enzyme called helicase can come along and rip apart the DNA at the same speed as a jet engine...fast! Then yanno more boring stuff happens like using 4 letters of code to make a message sent to protein factory in you cell called a ribosome which makes the protein that makes your body.

When mistakes occur in the DNA it can upset the normal processes in your body and lead to disease. Remember those 4 letters of code I mentioned well diseases like cystic fibrosis is a mistake in just one of those letters of code in the CFTR protein. And clever scientist are trying to replace that one miscode with a correct copy but it’s not quite there yet.

This blueprint not only build us for the future it can hold secrets of our past, not what you did last summer but more like your heritage. Specific markers on your DNA can be read tell you where your ancestors hail from e.g. 10% European 90% Antarctican.

Hope you enjoyed these little examples of what your DNA can do, for more information go read a book- xoxo