When comparing genomes from different species, scientists are often interested in the genome density, or the number of genes per number of nucleotides in the genome. genome density can be calculated from the size of the genome and the number of genes. what is the gene density of the human genome? calculate your answer in genes per mb (mega base pairs, or 1 million base pairs) ?

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Biology

Genevieve Ho

16 March, 10:45

When comparing genomes from different species, scientists are often interested in the genome density, or the number of genes per number of nucleotides in the genome. genome density can be calculated from the size of the genome and the number of genes. what is the gene density of the human genome? calculate your answer in genes per mb (mega base pairs, or 1 million base pairs) ?

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Avila · Answer 1

The human genome density ranges between 12-15 genes per Megabase pairs. This is because humans have approximately 2000 genes in a total of approximately 3 billion base pairs. However, some primitive organisms have an even larger gene density than humans. An example is bacteria with gene densities ranging between 100 - 500 genes/Mb. Gene density is therefore not a good characteristic in determining the complexity of an organism.