But the reason for this diversity goes well beyond just variety or adaptation in a healthy gene pool. This makes life more interesting, since it would be pretty boring if we were all the same. So DNA helps make you unique, and it makes humankind diverse. It also has some influence on your personality and your emotional and psychological makeup.
It’s what gives you your hair, skin, and eye color, your height, body type, facial features, and a thousand other outward characteristics. But the specific genes you’ve inherited from your parents also give you the special blend of traits that make you biologically unique.
So what causes all of this diversity, and what’s its purpose? Physical DNAĪs you probably learned in school, DNA is a molecule in all living organisms that carries the genetic code that helps them reproduce, grow, and function properly.Īll humankind shares the same basic genetic makeup. Even identical twins have some differences-just ask them.