This is a microbiology question. 7. If you were to take all of the DNA chains fr

Question

This is a microbiology question. 7. If you were to take all of the DNA chains from all of the chromosomes in your body and stitch them all together into one gigantic linear double helix, how long would that helix be? Use the fact that a 1 kilobase pair (kbo) double helix of DNA is 340 nanometers in length (340 nm) and that the haploid human genome contains 3.3 x 109 bp of DNA to make your calculation (and remember that human cells are diploidl). Assume that the human body contains 1013 cells and use the conversion factor 1 Meter = 6.2 x 10-4 Miles. Show your work (with all appropriate unit conversions) and express your answer in solar units (1 solar unit distance from earth to the sun = 9.1 x 107 miles).

Explanation / Answer

diploid cell contains 3.3*2*109 bp = 6.6*109 bp/cell.

human body contain 1013 cells. so total base pairs present in a body= 6.6*109*1013 =6.6*1022 bp = 6.6*1019 kbp

1kbp= 340nm so 6.6*1019 kbp will produce = 6.6*340*1019 nm long helix. = 2244*1019 nm.= 2244* 1010meter. (as 1meter=109nm)

1 meter= 6.2*10-4miles so, 2244*1010meter =2244*6.2*1010*10-4 miles =13912.8*106 miles

9.1*107 miles is equals to 1 solar unit. so 13912.8*106 miles = 1528.8*10-1 solar unit= 152.88 solar unit

so all DNA of all chromosome from a human body if stitched together then the helix will be 152.88 solar unit long

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