Did you know that there is enough DNA in the average person’s body to stretch from the sun to Pluto and back — 17 times?
The human genome (the genetic code in each human cell) contains 23 DNA molecules (called chromosomes), each containing from 500,000 to 2.5 million nucleotide pairs.
DNA molecules of this size are 1.7 to 8.5 cm long when uncoiled — about 5 cm on average.
There are about 37 trillion cells in the human body, so if you were to uncoil all of the DNA encased in each cell and place the molecules end to end, it would sum to a total length of 2 × 1014 meters — enough for 17 Pluto round-trips (the distance from the sun to Pluto and then back again is 1.2 × 1013 meters).
As an added bonus, you should know that we each share 99% of our DNA with every other human — just to show that we’re far more alike than different.
Hope you learnt something new. Look out for our Tuesday’s Facts of Science for more cool stuffs.
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