DNA: The Inborn Identity by Abdullah Al Moinee

DNA: The Inborn Identity 

Abdullah Al Moinee 

Identity is the inborn definition of a design which denotes the information to represent the interconnected independence of individuality. DNA is such a molecule delineating the inborn identity. DNA sustains the genetic directions utilized in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of human being along with all known living organisms and many viruses. All the possible scenarios of a person's life must conform to the designs in DNA. 

DNA (DeoxyRibonucleic Acid) & RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) are nucleic acids; alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates, they are one of the four major types (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids & carbohydrates) of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life. 

DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher in 1869. Its molecular structure was first identified by James Watson and Francis Crick at the Cavendish Laboratory within the University of Cambridge in 1953, whose model-building efforts were guided by X-ray diffraction data acquired by Raymond Gosling, who was a post-graduate student of Rosalind Franklin. DNA is used by researchers as a molecular tool to explore physical laws and theories, such as the ergodic theorem and the theory of elasticity. The unique material properties of DNA have made it an attractive molecule for material scientists and engineers interested in micro- and nano-fabrication. 

DNA is the store house of data. 1 single gram of DNA is capable of holding an amazing 700 terabytes of data. If we want to store all digital information in this world, all we need is 2 grams of DNA. Scientists have found out that a total of 510 DNA codes have been lost throughout the process of human evolution. Besides, it has been found in research that if one could type 60 words per minute, eight hours a day, it would take approximately 50 years to type the human genome. Moreover, one can fit 25,000 strands of DNA side by side into the width of a single human hair. If all three billion letters in the human genome were stacked one millimeter apart, they would reach a height 7,000 times the height of the Empire State Building. 

DNA is present in each and every cell of human body. Each DNA strand is 1.8 meters long but squeezed into a space of 0.09 micrometers! If someone manages to unwind all DNA molecules in a human body and place them end to end, the total length that can be covered is 10 billion miles. That’s the distance covered in a trip from Earth to Pluto and back to Earth. If one puts all the DNA molecules in the body end to end, the DNA would reach from the Earth to the Sun. 

DNA of anyone is 99.9 per cent identical to that of anyone else. It’s the other 0.1 percent that makes one person different from another. There were some ancient viruses that used to infect humans but today, 8% of human DNA is actually made of those ancient viruses. It is so true that, Human DNA is 95% identical to the DNA of chimpanzees. Indeed, it is surprising but human DNA is 50% identical to the DNA of bananas & 40-50% of green leafy cabbages. 

DNA is the blueprint of our lives. The DNA is tightly coiled up and structured into 46 chromosomes. Our chromosomes are arranged in pairs. We inherit one copy of the pair from each of our parents. One chromosome can have as little as 50 million base pairs or as much as 250 million base pairs. Even though DNA codes for all the information that makes up an organism, DNA is built using only four building blocks, the nucleotides adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C). The design instructions in DNA are spelled out as particular sequences of these four bases. This is analogous to conveying instructions in printed books by particular arrangements of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. In the case of genes, however, there are only four letters in the alphabet. The designs are called genes. Some genes play a role in regulating other genes, and some design ribonucleic acid, a close relative of DNA. But mostly, the designs in DNA are for the class of chemicals called proteins. The human body contains tens of thousands of kinds of proteins, which do all the body's work. Interactions among those proteins, and interactions between them and environmental factors account for the processes and structures of the body. Those processes and structures are manifested as inherited traits. 

Sections of DNA that code for proteins are called genes. The complete set of genetic information for an organism is called the genome. Genes are pieces of DNA passed from parent to offspring that contain hereditary information. The average gene is 10,000 to 15,000 bases long. The segment of DNA designated a gene is made up of exons and introns. There are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes in our genome. In 2000, a rough draft of the human genome (complete DNA sequence) was completed. In 2003, the final draft of the human genome was completed. The first animal to have its DNA completely sequenced was a nematode worm in 1998. All life-forms have DNA, but the only animal with ‘dna’ in its name is the echidna. There is a memory device orbiting the Earth aboard International Space Station that contains the DNA of Stephen Hawking, Stephen Colbert, Lance Armstrong, among others, in case of some worldwide catastrophe. It is called the “Immortality Drive.” 

Mutations are the changes in the DNA sequence. Many thing can cause mutations, including UV irradiation from the sun, chemicals like drugs, et. DNA is affected by the environment; environmental factors can turn genes on and off. DNA draws a plan known as RNA (Ribonucleic acid). It constructs a building called Protein. A DNA mutation or variation may be associated with a higher risk of a number of diseases. Any mutation in DNA results in change in RNA which synthesizes wrong protein leading to genetic disorders. DNA tests can help you understand your family history i.e. genetic genealogy DNA can be extracted from many different types of samples: blood, cheek cells, urine. DNA can be stored either as cells on a cotton swab, buccal brush, or frozen blood or in extracted form. In forensics, DNA analysis usually looks at 13 specific DNA markers (segments of DNA). Moreover, genetically modified crops have DNA from another organism inserted to give the crops properties like pest resistance. 

Every aspect of nature reveals a deep mystery and touches our sense of wonder and so the DNA does with its inborn and infinite identity. The deep mystery of DNA creates wonder which is the basis of man's desire to know forth which opens the threshold of curiosities in the vastness of DNA. A group of scientists transcribed the song “It’s a Small World After All” into the DNA of a bacteria that is resistant to radioactivity, so that in the event of a nuclear catastrophe, we could pass a message on to future intelligent life. The Hornsleth Deep Storage Project has lowered a vast iron sculpture into the Marianas Trench, which will be filled with human blood, hair samples, and animal DNA so that it could be used to bring people and endangered species back to life in the future. These research on DNA is so dedicated which aspires scientist to be inspired going for a thousand miles which will design a huge leap for mankind.