G7_Ancestry_grade level _03

As you explain to your sister, “DNA is an abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid.” You see her eyes roll at you as if to say, “seriously dude?” You often forget, she is two years younger than you. As a result, she has also not had as much Science as you. She prefers the arts more than the sciences, but there is still time for that phase to pass. These kits that are now used to find out about your ancestors are possible because of what has been learned about DNA. The study of DNA and genetics has only been around since the last half of the twentieth century.

Since then, many uses of DNA have taken shape, such as the migration patterns of humans since the dawn of time. Law enforcement has also embraced the study of genetics through the use of DNA evidence. Currently, the study of genealogy through the use of DNA has really taken off.

When you think about DNA, it’s like a builder studying a blueprint for a house. For a housebuilder, the blueprint is a set of instructions needed to build the house. The same holds true for any living organism. Instead of a piece of paper with lines and measures, a living organism’s DNA is stored in our chromosomes in the form of genes. These sets of instructions stored in chromosomes are what give you your traits. They are passed on from generation to generation.

 

For example, Mom says, “The reason your sister talks a lot is because it’s in her DNA. She got her grandpa’s gift of the gab.” Of course, that’s not true, but it always gets a good laugh. The traits carried by DNA are limited to physical traits, such as height, eye color, freckles, and even attached earlobes. It’s pretty cool stuff you will get to learn more about in high school.