A great part of living in the 21st century is that if you have a device that connects to the internet, you have access to hundreds, if not thousands of experts who are often eager to share in-depth knowledge about the world we live in.
Someone asked “What is a genetics fact that not a lot of people know?” and people detailed their best facts. From the peculiarities of our DNA to interesting new species of plants, get ready to expand your mind as you read through. Be sure to upvote your favorites and comment your thoughts and ideas below.
#41
Twins can be half identical. Like same egg split but two different sperms so they share about 75% genetic similarities compared to 100% in identical twins and 50% in fraternal twins/siblings.
They can even be boy and girl twins.
They can even be boy and girl twins.
72points
#43
The ability to flex the tongue as a cloverleaf is genetic.
69points
#44
Get tested for hereditary high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia). It's a comparatively common genetic disorder.
It shows next to no symptoms but can clog your arteries and kill you, no matter how healthy your diet and lifestyle. It rarely skips a generation.
The treatment is usually a medication called statins.
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69points
#45
Since our mitochondria used to be separate single celled organisms, they have their own DNA
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68points
#46
Humans are closer genetically to bonobos than chimpanzees.
I wish I was a bonobo.
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65points
#47
Some genetic diseases persist because having one copy of the disease causing version of that gene can have benefits, so even though having two copies is deadly, that copy of the gene doesn't go away in the population.
62points
#48
Your immune system regulation genes (HLA) have a huge impact on how you smell!
60points
#49
The green eyed gene is a recessive gene when compared to brown eyed gene; it is dominant when compared to blue eye gene.
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57points
#50
UV gives you cancer because literally makes your DNA stick so tightly the only way to fix it is remove the entire section then "guess" what was there. More this happens, more chance cell becomes cancerous.
Bacteria don't have this polymerase repair so it's why UV kills them or mutates them.
Plant one - Hexaploid wheat possesses 42 chromosomes derived from its three ancestral genomes. The 21 pairs of chromosomes can be further divided into seven groups of six chromosomes (one chromosome pair being derived from each of the three ancestral genomes)... This is mainly because of how much humans have bred it it's literally inbred.
49points