The Genuine YouFrom Genetics!

There are approximately 5 billion people on the Earth today. There are people with all different colors of skin, hair, and eyes. There are tall people and short people. There are people who have almond-shaped eyes (like the Japanese), and people who have round eyes (like Americans).

Then there are all the animals. Some, like giraffes, stand almost twenty feet tall. Some, like a flea, are a fraction of an inch high. There are animals that live on land, and animals that live on water. There are animals that have hair, and animals that have scales. There are animals that crawl, and animals that fly.

And then there are the plants. Some (like trees) grow tall as they reach toward the sky. Some (like algae and lichens) grow flat and close to the ground. Some (like a tulip) produce beautiful flowers. Some (like a cactus) produce spiny thorns.

Why are all these things so different? What makes each of them like they are? Within the cells of humans, animals, and plants there is a tiny strand of material that scientists call deoxyribonucleic (dee-ox-ee-ribe-o-new-clay-ik) acid. Scientists call it "DNA" for short. Along this strand are sections of DNA called "genes." The genes give us most of our physical features or traits. Also, everyone gets two copies of each gene—one from their mother and one from their father. The DNA code for each copy can be slightly different, and one copy can be stronger than the other. For instance, if you inherit the genes for black hair from your dad, and the genes for blond hair from your mom, you have a very good chance of having black hair.

An Austrian scientist by the name of Gregor Mendel was the first person to discover the basic ways in which genes worked, although he did not know about DNA. After experimenting with peas in his garden, he found that traits were passed from one generation to the next according to certain rules. These became the laws of genetics.

Thanks to these laws, we know why children can look so much like their parents or grandparents. And thanks to these laws, we know that cows always give rise to cows, and tulips always give rise to tulips. The Bible teaches the same principle. God created "the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind" (Genesis 1:12). Let us thank God for creating a world in such a wonderful way!

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org