nucleosome dog

2020

scisters.editions

Our genetic information in the form of DNA is found in the nuclei of our cells. In each of these cells, two meters of DNA are compressed into small nuclei of about 10 micrometers around complexes called nucleosomes. Let's say you are 1.75 meters tall and can fit into a room ten times smaller than the diameter of a hair (100 micrometers). This imposes respect! But then, what is the use of such mechanical stress on our DNA? The different levels of compaction make some areas of our DNA accessible and others not. This is how certain genes can be expressed in certain cells and others can be expressed for different functions in other cells. Cells can thus select the genes they need. How do our cells manage to do this? To find out, I invite you to read our next articles on epigenetics. In the meantime, we've put together a little story with our friend James, the dog who seems to need to relax.

A little anecdote: if we put the DNA of all the humans on our planet end to end, we could make several round trips to the galaxy closest to ours.

A human has about 30,000 billion cells in his body.

<> 2 meters of DNA x 30.10^12 cells = 60,000 billion meters of DNA for an individual.

In 2019, there were 7.7 billion humans on the planet.

<> 60.10^12 x 7.7.10^9 = 46.10^22 meters of DNA including the entire human population.

Andromeda is located 2.5 million light years from our planet. One light-year is equal to 9.45.10^15 meters.

<> So 2.5.10^6 x 9.46.10^15 = 1.9.10^22 meters between the Earth and Andromeda.

There are therefore 1.9.10^22 meters between the Earth and Andromeda. Put together, the DNA of all humans would measure 46.10^22 meters. We could therefore travel 24 times the distance between the Earth and Andromeda, or about 12 round trips.

Who are we?

Our team is composed of a scientific director (Ph.D.) and an artistic director who combine their creativity, their rigor, their curiosity and their pop side in the service of science outreach & design. Thanks to our different partners, we are able to offer you various and complementary services.

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Qui sommes-nous ?

Notre équipe est composée d'une directrice artistique et d'une directrice scientifique (Ph.D.) qui allient leur créativité, leur rigueur, leur curiosité et leur côté pop au service de la vulgarisation scientifique & du design. Grâce à nos différents partenaires, nous avons la capacité de vous offrir des services variés et complémentaires.

© scisters.editons 2024 - Mentions légales

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