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    Question ID:   5203         Current Version: 1
Question: What is a gene?
Category: Science > Biology
Keywords: gene, heredity, DNA
Type: what
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 1203    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:
A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes, which are made up of DNA, act as instructions to make molecules called proteins. In humans, genes vary in size from a few hundred DNA bases to more than 2 million bases. The Human Genome Project has estimated that humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes.

Every person has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Most genes are the same in all people, but a small number of genes (less than 1 percent of the total) are slightly different between people. Alleles are forms of the same gene with small differences in their sequence of DNA bases. These small differences contribute to each person's unique physical features.

 

 

Genes are made up of DNA. Each chromosome contains many genes. 

Source: National Library of Medicine (NLM)  

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    More Readings :
[QID:5416]    What is a genome?  
[QID:5421]    What did the Human Genome Project accomplish?  
[QID:5420]    What were the goals of the Human Genome Project?  
[QID:5231]    What is a chromosome?  
[QID:5429]    What are the next steps in genomic research?  
[QID:5204]    What is DNA?  
[QID:5260]    What is mitochondrial DNA and what conditions are related to mitochondrial DNA?  
[QID:724]    What is cancer?  
[QID:5261]    Can changes in mitochondrial DNA affect health and development?  
[QID:2198]    What effects do changes in gravity have on DNA replication?  
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