Image by abekat via Flickr

The human genome is the complete list of coded instructions needed to make a human.

~ There are 4 types of nucleotide base: A- adenine, T- thymine, C- cytosine, G- guanine.

~ The total number of human genes is estimated to be between 30,000 – 40,000.

~ Worms have 19,098 genes, fruit flies have 13,602 and yeast has 6,034.

~ The vast majority of the DNA in the genome (>97%) has no known function.

~ The functions remain unknown for over 50% of discovered genes.

~ Chromosome 1 has the most genes (2,968) and chromosome Y has the least (231).

~ There are 100 trillion cells in your body.

~ If unwound and tied together, the strands of DNA in one cell would stretch 6 feet.

~ 12,000 letters of DNA are decoded by human genome project computers every second.

~ The entire human genome requires more than 3 gigabytes of computer storage space.

~ To sequence the human genome, researchers collected a large number of blood samples from females and sperm from males. A few of these samples were then chosen at random for sequencing. The identities of the sample sources have never been disclosed, either to the donors or to the scientists.