1.3 Genes and Chromosomes
| Site: | Cowichan Valley School District - Moodle |
| Course: | Science 10 with CSS teacher |
| Book: | 1.3 Genes and Chromosomes |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Saturday, 26 April 2025, 2:37 PM |
Description
Genes and Proteins
DNA, Genes and Chromosomes
Genes are sections of DNA that code for the production of proteins. “Code” in this case means “instruct.” This is important because the proteins that are made determine all kinds of traits in humans, including hair, eye and skin color. Genes are the specific instructions for building a new individual, whether it's an oak tree, kangaroo or slime mold.
DNA is compacted into structures called chromosomes. Sexual reproduction allows chromosomes from different individuals to duplicate, intermingle, separate and exchange information in offspring
A guinea pig, a chinchilla and an armadillo all have 64 chromosomes. This is because they have a shared ancestor. Another example: a bat and a porpoise both have 44 chromosomes. 
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DNA, Genes and Chromosomes Illustrated
Study the diagram to make a connection between the terms 'DNA,' 'genes,' and 'chromosome.'
It is important to understand how these terms relate to each other.
If you were able to unwind a tightly coiled chromosome, you would discover that a chromosome is really just a very, very long strand of DNA.
- Genes are sections of DNA that code for a specific trait, such as eye color.
- Chromosomes are made up of many genes, and almost every human body cell nucleus contains 46 chromosomes.