AUDIO: What makes you - YOU?
You parents probably told you that you were special and they were right. You are a unique organism, unlike any other individual.
So what makes you - YOU?

AUDIO: Your genes make you - YOU.

AUDIO: Genes are specific sections of the DNA that direct how organisms look and function by coding for proteins. DNA molecules with genes are found in nearly every cell of all life forms – from amoeba to apples to elephants.

AUDIO: The human DNA sequence is huge, over 3 billion letters with about 25.000 genes. If your DNA sequence was written in one long sentence of a regular book, your book would be 2.6 million pages. if you and I compared our books, we would have less than one letter different on each page because all humans are 95.5% genetically identical.

Audio: This .5% difference is important. Unless you have an identical twin, no other organism has the exact same combination of genes that you do. No two individuals are the same, even if they came from the same parents.

AUDIO: Everyone has two copies of each gene because they inherited one copy from each parent. If we look at a single, simple gene like blood type, we can see each parent has two copies because they both inherited one from each of THEIR parents.

AUDIO: During reproduction, each parent can randomly pass on only one of their copies to a child. In this case, Dad can give an A or an O and mom can give an A or a B.

AUDIO: As a result, these parents can make 4 different genetic combinations for just this gene. Your two copies for any single gene may be the same as a sibling or different, but the chances that all of your 25,000 genes are the same is virtually non-existent. You are a genetically variable organism.

AUDIO: So what makes you - you? The unique combination of genes that you inherited from your parents make you -YOU.