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t m c ยป p u l s e | s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 20 20 U N R AV E L I NG T H E C O D E O F L I F E 6 B I L L I O N 20,000 GENES. T H E H U M A N G E N O M E N I T R O G E N B A S E S and consists of approximately WHAT IS A CHROMOSOME? Found in the nucleus of living cells, chromosomes are strands of DNA coiled together tightly around proteins. Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes, with 23 inherited from one parent and 23 inherited from the other. Chromosomes play a crucial role in ensuring that DNA is accurately copied and evenly distributed during cell division. WHAT IS A GENOME? A genome is the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism. The DNA in all 23 chromosome pairs make up an entire human genome, which consists of approximately six billion nitrogen bases and 20,000 genes. WHAT IS A GENE? A gene is a segment of DNA that instructs cells to make proteins. Proteins are complex molecules responsible for the majority of functions in the body and are necessary for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. Genes make up only about one percent of our DNA; the remainder is involved in regulating when and how proteins are made.