- Understanding the Basics of Your DNA
Your body is an amazing thing, and at the core of what makes you, well, you, is your DNA. Think of DNA as a comprehensive instruction manual for building and operating your entire body. It’s unique to you, passed down from your parents, and contains all the information that determines your traits, from eye color to how your cells function.
Inside this manual are tiny units called genes. Each gene is like a specific recipe within the larger instruction manual, giving directions for making a particular protein or performing a specific task. You have tens of thousands of these genes, all working together in a highly coordinated way.