A long chain biological polymer that acts as a store of genetic information using the sequence of 4 bases held inside a double spiral made from a sugar-containing backbone.
Questions tagged [dna]
21 questions
104
votes
3 answers
Is 8% of human DNA from viruses?
According to 23andme's Twitter
Image reads,
Approximately 8% of DNA is originally from viruses, which infected your ancestors and became integrated into their cells.
Evan Carroll
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46
votes
3 answers
Can an RNA vaccine change your DNA permanently?
I was sent this recent Food For Thought YouTube video.
It contains a number of wild claims about vaccinations.
In particular, it contains snippets of edited, unsourced footage of Bill Gates saying:
one final way that's new and is promising is…
Felipe
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44
votes
2 answers
Does the DNA of one sperm contain 37.5 MB of information?
[Source]
In an episode of the BBC show QI - Quite Interesting (Series J, Episode 1) Stephen Fry said:
How much information do you think is in the DNA of one little sperm...?
It's 37.5 MB...
...a normal male ejaculation, if there is such a thing,…
Oliver_C
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34
votes
5 answers
Does DNA add credibility to the theory of evolution?
I have yet to make up my mind regarding the theory of evolution. Whilst doing some reading on dnafish I read that DNA itself provides evidence for the theory of evolution:
Yeast, trees, flowers, corn, mice, frogs and humans share the same DNA. We…
mulllhausen
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34
votes
2 answers
Length of uncoiled human DNA
I recently came across this fact:
There's enough DNA in the human body to stretch from the sun to Pluto and back.
A couple of "Bollocks!" alarms began to chime in my head. While I expect that it will stretch a long way, Pluto seemed a little…
user7920
22
votes
2 answers
Is there more genetic difference between men and women than men and male chimpanzees?
I got into trouble with someone yesterday for poo-pooing this idea as it smelled of apples and oranges to me.
The specific statistic was that genetically there is a 5% difference between men and women, while there is only a 2% difference between men…
Benjol
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19
votes
1 answer
Do humans share 99% of their DNA with rats?
I keep hearing this claim that a lab "rat has 99% of the DNA of a human?" Is that so? What exactly does this mean? One source for this claim seems to CNN which only says,
"About 99 percent of genes in humans have counterparts in the mouse," said…
Evan Carroll
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16
votes
1 answer
Does 528 Hz "facilitate DNA repair"?
There is a somewhat common belief that playing a tone at 528Hz can help to facilitate DNA repair.
Examples:
The frequency of 528 Hz supposedly has healing effects on DNA. The
frequency seems to influence the water molecules that surround the DNA
…
aaaidan
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16
votes
1 answer
Has Jack the Ripper been identified?
British newspaper The Daily Mail published an article claiming that Russell Edwards was able to identify murderer Jack the Ripper thanks to DNA evidence retrieved from a shawl found at one of the victims' place.
The article emphasizes the advanced…
Sébastien
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16
votes
1 answer
Do corporations own human DNA sequences?
I came across the claim that Human DNA sequences are now owned by corporations:
FACT: HUMAN DNA SEQUENCES ARE NOW OWNED BY CORPORATIONS
Is this true?
If so, what does this mean?
(I realise question 2 may be off-topic on this site, but I find it…
gerrit
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11
votes
2 answers
Has a bone marrow transplant caused confusion in criminal investigations?
Dr. Azita Alizadeh wrote an 'Ask a geneticist' column about how patients with a bone marrow transplant will end up with at least two different sets of DNA in their body - DNA from their blood (which comes from the bone marrow) might not match the…
Ebbinghaus
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9
votes
1 answer
Do commercial DNA synthesis labs maintain a "watch list" of dangerous DNA sequences?
This New York Times article claims that
Their DNA could be put on a watch list, as sequences for anthrax and smallpox are, so any attempt to buy them from DNA supply houses would raise flags. Chemically silent DNA “watermarks” could be inserted so…
March Ho
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8
votes
1 answer
Are DNA testing companies building a DNA database for commercial applications?
There were a couple of articles last year regarding DNA testing companies such as 23andMe, selling data.
See example articles :
DNA-testing companies like 23andMe sell your genetic data to
drugmakers and other Silicon Valley startups
The data is…
user48138
8
votes
1 answer
Have scientists successfully cloned a dinosaur?
An article makes a claim that scientists have cloned a baby Apatosaurus.
From Article:
Scientists at Liverpool’s John Moore University have successfully cloned a dinosaur, a spokesman from the university said yesterday. The dinosaur, a baby…
David Hansen
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7
votes
1 answer
Have paleontologists systematically ignored dinosaur DNA that does not match the evolutionary model?
A 2009 paper from Institute for Creation Research claims that the reason no DNA has been successfully extracted from dinosaur remains is because any results that don't fit the evolutionary model are suppressed:
Because evolutionary scientists are…
IAS
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