Genetics and Health

Saturday Genetics Quiz #4: How many genes?

by Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD on July 30th, 2005

Previously, I gave three pop quizzes: “Genetic = Inherited?“, “Where is your genome located?,” and “How many chromosomes do humans have?“. It seems that everyone loves being a student so every Saturday will be Quiz Day here at the Genetics and Public Health Blog. No grades will be given and no preparation is needed. Jump in and have some fun!

This week’s question: How many genes do the following organisms have on average?

1. Human
2. Mouse
3. Fruit Fly
4. Plant (Arabidopsis thaliana)
5. Bacteria (E. coli)

Answers from the Human Genome Project:

1. Human - ~30,000 genes, 46 chromosomes
2. Mouse - ~30,000, 42 chromosomes
3. Fruit Fly - 13,600, 8 chromosomes
4. Plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) - 25,500, 5 chromosomes
5. Bacteria (E. coli) - 3200, 1 chromosome

“Genome size does not correlate with evolutionary status, nor is the number of genes proportionate with genome size.”

Now you can wow them at your next dinner party.

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POSTED IN: Genetics Quizzes