Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cwjcc!gatech!ukma!husc6!ogccse!blake!uw-beaver!tektronix!reed!alexis
From: alexis@reed.UUCP (Alexis Dimitriadis)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Chromosome Topology of the Human Genome
Message-ID: <11465@reed.UUCP>
Date: 31 Dec 88 05:58:04 GMT
References: <17231@dhw68k.cts.com> <23046@beta.lanl.gov> <2084@aecom.YU.EDU>
Reply-To: alexis@reed.UUCP (Alexis Dimitriadis)
Distribution: na
Organization: Reed College, Portland OR
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> > There is a problem in a chapter of the original Lehninger Biochemistry
> > text that will give you the flavor of the problem.  Leaving *lots* of
> > other problems aside, the DNA in a human cell if a single straight
> > strand would just about make it to the moon (if I am recalling the
> > problem correctly).  
> 
> 	The DNA from a single cell can be measured in centimeters.  The
> DNA from a single human being (all told) would probably make it to the
> moon.

It's been a few years, but I think it was thus: If you have a strand of
silk from here to the moon, how do you pack it in a cylinder X by Y mm?
There was a note to the effect that human DNA and the chromosome have the
same proportions as the length/width of the strand and the cylinder.

This does seems to square with Craig's estimate of a few cm. length for DNA.
(I have the book at home, if it's worth the trouble to someone).

Alexis Dimitriadis
alexis@reed.UUCP
(...tektronix!reed!alexis)