What are the Differences Between Genes, Genetics, and DNA?

Genes, genetics, and DNA are all similar to one another. However, they are not one and the same.

Many people believe the three terms are interchangeable. This is not entirely the case.

Here is everything you need to know about the differences between genes, genetics, and DNA:

What are Genes?

There are over 20,000 genes that can be found in nearly every human being. Genes are considered the basic component of inheritance from our parents. Genes are passed from parents to their offspring and contain the following:

·       Codes for specific proteins

·       Segments of proteins

·       Physical traits

·       Biological traits

·       Personality traits

·       And more

Each gene’s code has specific proteins which contribute to having different functions within our bodies. Proteins are the foundation of what makes each person who they are. They make up our tissues and cells and encode all the information of who we are stored in the proteins.

What is Genetics?

Genetics can be referred to as “the study of genes and how traits are inherited…from one generation to the next.” In other words, your genetics is the study of parents passing down their genes to their offspring.

Genetics determine the units of heredity—or genes—and how each unique gene carries coded information passed down from generation to generation. The study of genes can help us learn about ourselves, our pasts, our ancestors, and much more including:

·       Long-lost relatives

·       Biological parents (if adopted)

·       Potential preexisting health conditions

·       Gene mutations

·       Personality and physical traits

·       Bloodlines

·       Ancestor migration paths

·       And more

What is DNA?

DNA—or deoxyribonucleic acid—is the hereditary component found within humans and nearly all organisms on the planet. Almost every cell in a human being’s body is comprised of the same DNA.

DNA contains vital foundational information about what makes you, you. There are four chemical bases of DNA code:

·       Adenine

·       Guanine

·       Cytosine

·       Thymine

There are nearly 3 billion bases in human DNA with over 99% being found in nearly all human beings. DNA is made of a double helix. The double helix forms at the base and merges with a sugar-phosphate foundation.

The structure of DNA includes:

·       a sugar

·       a nitrogen base

·       a phosphate group.

DNA helps your body grow and protects you. The three bases of your DNA code create proteins over your lifetime that help you grow and survive. Each of the three bases is related to specific building blocks of proteins found in your genes; otherwise known as amino acids.

Bottom Line

Although genes, genetics, and DNA are similar, they can all be defined in different ways. Genetics is simply the study of genes. DNA is made up entirely of genes and specific proteins found in those genes.

Each of the three components cannot exist without one another. The study of how our genes make up our unique DNA helps us understand who we are, where we came from, and who we are descendants of.