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Genetics began with Gregor Mendel's pea experiments (1866) — discovering the laws of inheritance (dominant/recessive traits, segregation, independent assortment) without knowing about DNA. The discovery of DNA as the hereditary material (Avery, MacLeod, McCarty, 1944; confirmed by Hershey and Chase, 1952) and its double-helix structure (Watson, Crick, Franklin, Wilkins, 1953) transformed biology into a molecular science.
The Human Genome Project (1990-2003) sequenced all 3.2 billion base pairs of human DNA at a cost of $3 billion. Today, a human genome can be sequenced for under $200 in a few hours. The genome revealed unexpected facts: humans have only ~20,000 protein-coding genes (fewer than a water flea); 98.5% of DNA is non-coding ('junk DNA', now known to have regulatory functions); humans share 98.7% DNA with chimpanzees and 85% with mice.
# Top 10 genetics facts
- 1Mendel discovered inheritance laws without knowing DNA
- 2Watson/Crick/Franklin double helix
- 3Human Genome Project
- 4CRISPR gene editing
- 5epigenetics
- 6gene expression
- 798.7% chimp DNA similarity
- 8personalized medicine from genomics
- 9genetic genealogy
- 10gene therapy
Fascinating Facts
- ◆The Human Genome Project cost $3 billion to sequence the first human genome (1990-2003) — today a genome is sequenced for $200 in hours
- ◆Humans share 85% of DNA with mice, 60% with fruit flies, and 31% with brewer's yeast — the tree of life is visible in our genes
- ◆Rosalind Franklin's X-ray Photo 51 (1952) revealed the double helix structure of DNA — Watson and Crick used it without her knowledge, winning the Nobel Prize she was denied
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