Seas of DNA The colored lights are an artistic representation of the human genome, the complete set of DNA found in nearly every cell in the body. Researchers with the Human Genome Project have decoded the entire human genome, which contains about 21,000 DNA segments known as genes (Pennisi, 2012, September 5). Genes are the blueprints for proteins that endow you with a unique set of traits, including eye color, hair texture, and—to a certain extent—psychological characteristics.

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