Weekly Genetics Quiz #47: Humans vs. Mice

This week’s genetics quiz question is from StrangeButTrue by Bill and Rich Sones at desertnews.com.

What distinguishes humans from mice genetically if we have about the same number of genes?

Answer:

Bill and Rich say:

It’s not really how many genes but how they’re regulated or expressed during development, says Hopi Hoekstra of the University of California-San Diego. In fact, we have scarcely more genes than worms and fleas and far fewer than salamanders.

Read the original question and their great answer at desertnews.com. You may also want to review Genetics Quiz #4: How many genes?

Technorati Tags: quizzes, genetics, genes, dna, quiz, disease, health, number of genes