They say siblings share about 50% of their DNA. Yet it is also said that bananas and humans share 50-60% of their genetic material. What exactly is each claim referring to?
In: Biology
The first claim is false. The correct claim is that siblings share about 50% of their chromosomes.
On average 50% of your chromosomes are identical to those of your siblings. It could theoretically be anywhere from 0% to 100%, but it’s most likely to be close to 50%.
That means that on average 50% of your chromosomes are different from those of your siblings. But since you’re both humans, these non-identical chromosomes still contain mostly the same DNA with some small differences here and there, which means you share much more than 50% of your DNA with them.
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