1 HOW TO BUILD A HUMAN

Question 1

What was the estimated cost to build a human body according to the Royal Society of Chemistry?

Answer 1

$151,578.46

This cost does not include labor and sales tax, which would increase the total significantly.

Question 2

How many elements are needed to construct a human being?

Answer 2

Fifty-nine elements

Six elements—carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus—account for 99.1% of the human body.

Question 3

Which element is the biggest component of a human body, filling 61% of available space?

Answer 3

Oxygen

Question 4

What accounts for another 10% of the human body after oxygen?

Answer 4

Hydrogen

Question 5

What is the approximate cost of the carbon required for a human body?

Answer 5

$69,550

Question 6

Fill in the blank: The twenty-third most common element in the body is ______, which is toxic.

Answer 6

Cadmium

Question 7

What is the primary purpose of DNA?

Answer 7

To create more DNA

Question 8

How many times does a red blood cell rattle around the body?

Answer 8

About 150,000 times

Question 9

What is the basic unit of life?

Answer 9

The cell

Question 10

What is the longest protein in the human body?

Answer 10

Titin

Question 11

True or False: All humans share 99.9% of their DNA.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

How many times do humans blink on average in a day?

Answer 12

14,000 times

Question 13

What is the total number of atoms that make up a human body?

Answer 13

7 billion billion billion (7 octillion)

Question 14

Fill in the blank: The sum of all your genes is called the ______.

Answer 14

Genome

Question 15

What are the segments of DNA called that contain instructions for building proteins?

Answer 15

Genes

Question 16

What common food sources are rich in selenium?

Answer 16

• Nuts
• Whole wheat bread
• Fish

Question 17

How does the cost of the fundamental components of the human body according to PBS’s Nova compare to the Royal Society of Chemistry’s estimate?

Answer 17

$168 vs. $151,578.46

Question 18

What percentage of the human genome is made up of the genes that provide instructions for building proteins?

Answer 18

Only 2%

Question 19

What is the paradox of genetics regarding human DNA?

Answer 19

We are all very different yet genetically practically identical.

Question 20

What percentage of DNA do all humans share?

Answer 20

99.9 percent

Question 21

How many places do DNA sequences differ between two humans?

Answer 21

Three to four million places

Question 22

What is the proportion of the human genome that codes for proteins?

Answer 22

2 percent

Question 23

What is an Alu element?

Answer 23

A short sequence repeated more than a million times in the genome

Question 24

What percentage of our genetic material is constituted by Alu elements?

Answer 24

10 percent

Question 25

What term is used to describe the genetic material whose function is not fully understood?

Answer 25

Dark DNA

Question 26

What is the estimated number of cells in the human body?

Answer 26

37.2 trillion cells

Question 27

How many diseases can potentially kill a person according to the WHO?

Answer 27

Slightly more than eight thousand

Question 28

True or False: Most cells in the body replicate without going wrong.

Answer 28

True

Question 29

What common health issue results from humans having jaws that are too small?

Answer 29

Impacted molars

Question 30

What unique ability do zebra fish have that humans lack?

Answer 30

They can regenerate damaged heart tissue

Question 31

Fill in the blank: Humans cannot produce _______ despite undertaking most of the process.

Answer 31

Vitamin C

Question 32

What is the significance of our genes coming from ancestors that were not human?

Answer 32

It reflects a long evolutionary history

Question 33

What was the earliest form of life from which humans descended?

Answer 33

Unicellular blobs

Question 34

How is the human body often compared to machines?

Answer 34

In its functionality and operation

Question 35

What is the average lifestyle choice that affects human health negatively?

Answer 35

Eating maximally and exercising minimally

Question 36

What does the body do with cancerous cells that turn every day?

Answer 36

Captures and kills them

Question 37

True or False: Cancer is a common event in life.

Answer 37

False

Question 38

What is the remarkable aspect of human life according to the text?

Answer 38

We aren't overwhelmed by our frailties