GNN - Genome News Network     Home | About | Topics  A book by
Sarah E. DeWeerdt Edited by Barbara J. Culliton Graphics by Mary
S. Gibbs    In most living things, the genome is made of a
chemical called DNA. The genome contains genes, which are
packaged in chromosomes and affect specific characteristics of
the organism.  Imagine these relationships as a set of Chinese
boxes nested one inside the other. The largest box represents
the genome. Inside it, a smaller box represents the chromosomes.
Inside that is a box representing genes, and inside that,
finally, is the smallest box, the DNA.  In short, the genome is
divided into chromosomes, chromosomes contain genes, and genes
are made of DNA.  The word " genome " was coined in about 1930,
even though scientists didn't know then what the genome was made
of. They only knew that the genome was important enough,
whatever it was, to have a name.  Each one of earth's species
has its own distinctive genome: the dog genome, the wheat
genome, the genomes of the cow, col