Science 10 with CSS teacher

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.