How many genes?

[bohemian]

My wife and I watched a film documentary about the mapping of the human genome, and we were interested to learn that they now have an approximation of the number of genes contained in it.

 

Anyone like to guess before they look to see what was the answer given?

 

the estimate was 38,000 but it is now revised down to 20,000-25,000!

 

What do you think about the answer?

[trottigy]

Amazing! What a creator we have. Rev 4:11

[bohemian]

Indeed so, Jerry.  There are about 3 billion letters in the human genome sequence, just combinations of A, C, G and T

[trottigy]

You just had me think of this - genes use 4 characters. The computers humans build can only use 2 - 0 & 1. Imagine the additional complexity to go from 2 to 3 and then 4 His thoughts higher than ours!

Edited October 11, 2013 by trottigy

[jayrtom]

You just had me think of this - genes use 4 characters. The computers humans build can only use 2 - 0 & 1. Imagine the additional complexity to go from 2 to 3 and then 4 His thoughts higher than ours!

http://news.sciencemag.org/math/2012/08/dna-ultimate-hard-drive

When it comes to storing information, hard drives don't hold a candle to DNA. Our genetic code packs billions of gigabytes into a single gram. A mere milligram of the molecule could encode the complete text of every book in the Library of Congress and have plenty of room to spare. All of this has been mostly theoretical—until now. In a new study, researchers stored an entire genetics textbook in less than a picogram of DNA—one trillionth of a gram—an advance that could revolutionize our ability to save data...

[bohemian]

Another thing I find amazing is that where many molecules depend on various attractions in order to be built up of atoms, the bonding always has to be in certain positions, whether chemical or electrochemical, ie the electrical charge attraction positive to negative, there is NO reason for the c, g, a and t to bond with the 'spine' of the molecule! In other words the sequence could be entirely random. There is no chemical or biological reason for them to form any order at all. The only constraint is between the two helices, in that T always bonds with A and C with G.

The information in the sequencing has no other reason to be there other than it was designed by an intelligent source.

Even the arrangement of amino acids into a protein is done according to matching 3 letter codons from the rna to the amino acid carriers, so that only the correct amino acid is used in each position, but this is derived from the dna when unzipped. The dna sequence itself has no reason to be in any particular order.

We ARE wonderfully made!

[GrumpysWife]

When I was younger I just loved to get involved with learning all about stuff like this, it is fascinating, but now this poor old brain can't make any sense of it. I cannot wait until my brain is once again functioning properly.  

[MizPeg]

I wondered if this was the same program, that I was able to watch part of. Truly fascinating! Going to see if PBS has a video on their web site.