A recent survey conducted by the Oklahoma State University
Department of Agricultural Economics discovered a curious fact. They
found that over 80 percent of Americans firmly support "mandatory labels
on foods containing DNA". The survey also found that approximately the
same amount of Americans also support mandatory labels for GMO foods
"produced with genetic engineering".
While this survey's findings
provided comedic fodder for the news cycle, it also illuminated a
troubling fact about the country's apparent state of education regarding
scientific fact and DNA knowledge. Undoubtedly, most respondents likely
were voicing concerns over genetically-modified organisms ("GMOs") and
their increasing place within the modern food chain.
Despite the
ongoing GMO debate and its legitimate concerns, such as greater
susceptibility to worldwide crop blights, this recent confusion points
to a fundamental misunderstanding of DNA and its increasing implications
in everyday society, as business further turns DNA-related technology
into commercial products affecting the masses.
To provide a
stronger grasp of how important DNA is to everyday life and further
expand one's overall knowledge base, here are a number of interesting
facts about DNA and its implications across modern life:
1)
Despite the variety of organisms on Earth, each one built from a complex
set of instructions, DNA itself is generated by the combination of only
four components, the nucleotides adenine, guanine, thymine, and
cytosine. All classes of organisms, be they plant or animal, can all be
broken down into these four base nucleotides. All that changes are the
specific combinations of the nucleotide pairs themselves.
2)
Research has shown that DNA has a half-life of 521 years. When fully
broken down, this means that the oldest samples of DNA that could be
viably cloned into new, living organisms have a natural limit of 2
million years. This fact rules out the possibility of cloning extinct
plants or animals older than this age. As a result, the hope of cloning
dinosaurs, a la Jurassic Park, is currently not possible.
3)
Approximately 8% of all current human DNA is actually composed of
ancient viruses that used to infect human beings in the past. The reason
this has transpired is that ancient retroviruses, nearly all of them
currently extinct, infected human beings and inserted their own DNA into
the host cells' genome. If these cells included reproductive cells such
as sperm or eggs, then the retrovirus DNA would become passed along
successive generations.
4) DNA was actually first discovered
nearly 150 years ago, however scientists did not understand its function
until almost 75 years later. Friedrich Miescher first discovered DNA in
1869 via his research. Unfortunately, scientists at that time, Miescher
included, did not understand exactly what it was. It wasn't until 1943
that subsequent research clarified that DNA stored the genetic material
within cells. For the interim years, it was believed that proteins
stored the genetic information now associated with DNA.
5)
Scientists are now unlocking DNA's ability to store digital information,
due to its nature and structure. In a Harvard University-sponsored
experiment, scientists stored 700 terabytes of data onto one gram of
DNA. For the sake of comparison, that same amount of information is
equivalent to 330 pounds of physical hard drives. That same quantity of
data can now be potentially be stored in a medium small enough to fit on
a fingertip. Unfortunately, current sequencing methods required to
decode the stored data remain costly and time-consuming, limiting
practical application at this time.
6) Despite being composed of
only four base nucleotides, DNA is an incredibly complex signal chain of
information. To put it in perspective, if one were to uncoil DNA's
double helix structure and lay it out in a straight line, it would
stretch out for 10 billion miles. In that distance, one could make the
trip from Earth to Pluto and back.
7) All non-African humans
contain Neanderthal DNA due to periods of human and Neanderthal
interbreeding. The human X chromosome has also been determined to have
originated from Neanderthals, but only for humans of non-African origin.
Given their genes for language, as well as highly developed skills in
art and tool craftsmanship, Neanderthals added considerable genetic
variability and strength to the human genome.
8) Virtually all
cheetahs are genetically identical to one another. While laboratory mice
and rats have been subject to consistent interbreeding in order to keep
experimental results as uniform as possible, research has found that
virtually all cheetahs also possess virtually the same genome despite
the species' large population. Scientists theorize that approximately
100,000 years ago some unknown event reduced the cheetah population down
to as little as seven individual animals. The exact cause remains
unknown, however the population was able to slowly recover and rebuild
throughout the centuries. Unfortunately though, their extreme genetic
commonality leaves cheetahs very susceptible to disease.
9) It is
quite possible to live with two distinctive sets of DNA. Most humans
live and are built from one set of genetic blueprints. With quite a few
pregnancies, twins are often formed early on but due to circumstances,
one is absorbed by the other early enough without any further
complication. In certain cases though, the remaining child, usually
unaware he or she had a twin in the womb still possesses the remnants of
their twin's genetic code within them. This condition, known as
Chimerism, is often undetected but happens more commonly than people
think.
10) DNA research has definitely shown that Viking explorers
reached North America centuries before Christopher Columbus' arrival in
the New World. DNA testing has proven that four separate families in
Iceland possess a specific genetic variant that is only known to exist
within Native American and East Asian peoples. Genetic testing has
provided substantial proof that at least one Native American woman was
taken to Iceland itself, based upon DNA testing which shows contact
between both peoples as far back as 1700.
This simple list of
facts provides only the tip of the iceberg in terms of DNA's inherent
importance, as well as how it affects the world at large. While the
information contained within is significant, DNA can also be a map into
worlds long gone. DNA testing provides insight and illumination into
past events and populations that would otherwise be unknowable.
To learn more, go to http://www.dnaspectrum.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Tisch
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