13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13-16, NIV)
The human genome contains approximately 3 billion base pairs of DNA packaged into 23 chromosomes. All cells in the human body (except for female ova and male sperm) contain 23 pairs of chromosomes. That makes a total of 6 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Because each base pair is approximately 0.34 nanometers long, each human cell contains approximately 2 meters of DNA [0.34 × 10-9) × (6 × 109)]. How is all this DNA able to fit inside the nucleus of a cell?
When God created us, He always matched structure with function. Nothing was unplanned or chaotic. The answer to this question lies in the fact that DNA contains proteins called histones. DNA is wound around these proteins like beads on a string to form chromatin. The coils of chromatin are folded to form loops which coil and pack together to form a chromosome.
The structure of DNA is not only important for packaging, but also for cell division. Each time the cell divides into 2 new cells, the chromosomes must unwind into chromatin in order for the chromatin to replicate before the cell divides. During cell division, the chromatin condenses into chromosomes in order that one of each pair of 23 chromosomes is donated to each daughter cell. This ensures that each new daughter cell will have the same amount of DNA as the parent cell.
Each of the 23 chromosomes has specific regions of DNA called genes. Genes code for cells to produce specific proteins. For example, the cells in the pancreas produce the hormone insulin. The cells in skin and hair produce the protein melanin which determines skin and hair color. In order for the code to be expressed in the cell, the DNA of that gene has to unwind into chromatin. Once the protein is produced, the chromatin of that gene coils and loops back into its condensed form on the chromosome.
In closing, here is another amazing fact about DNA. It is estimated that the human body contains about 50 trillion cells. This computes to 100 trillion meters of DNA per human. Now, consider the fact that the Sun is 150 billion meters from Earth. This means that each of us has enough DNA to go from here to the Sun and back more than 300 times, or around Earth’s equator 2.5 million times!
Indeed, God is the Master Weaver. He produced the thread of life and knit it together to form you! God’s masterpiece!
https://quizlet.com/gb/716590992/dna-genes-and-chromosomes-flash-cards
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 