I like to think about infinity every once in a while. It’s sort of a hobby. When I’m not thinking about infinity, I like to think about zero, another interesting number.
Numbers I try not to think about too often are attached to teeny tiny things like atoms or DNA. Those kinds of numbers make my head hurt.
Here is an example that I found while looking for interesting science facts. The headline reads, “There is enough DNA in the average person’s body to stretch from the sun to Pluto and back — 17 times.”
That is an impressive fact, but here is the part that blows my mind.
The genetic code in one human cell contains 23 DNA molecules (we know them as chromosomes.) Each of these DNA molecules contains 500,000 to 2.5 million nucleotide pairs. When uncoiled, one DNA molecule is on average 2 inches long.
In the article, they do some math and get to the Pluto number. That’s fun, but that isn’t what rattles my brain.
We have about 37 trillion cells in our body, and each one has between 11.5 million and 57.5 million nucleotide pairs. In one cell!
DNA is small, but these nucleotide pairs are beyond tiny. I can’t imagine how small they are, and I can imagine lots of weird things.
Look at the skin on the back of your hands. Millions of cells make up your skin, and each of those has millions of these nucleotide pairs.
If I keep staring at my hand, I might go crazy. I’m going to think about infinity instead.