Watch these recommended TED-Ed Lessons

DNA: The book of you
Your body is made of cells -- but how does a single cell know to become part of your nose, instead of your toes? The answer is in your body's instruction book: DNA. Joe Hanson compares DNA to a detailed manual for building a person out of cells -- with 46 chapters (chromosomes) and hundreds of thousands of pages covering every part of you.

What happens when your DNA is damaged?
The DNA in just one of your cells gets damaged tens of thousands of times per day. Because DNA provides the blueprint for the proteins your cells need to function, this damage can cause serious issues—including cancer. Fortunately, your cells have ways of fixing most of these problems, most of the time. Monica Menesini details the processes of DNA damage and repair.


Additional references

X-linked inheritance - Khan Academy
If you’re a human being (which seems like a good bet!), most of your chromosomes come in homologous pairs. The two chromosomes of a homologous pair contain the same basic information – that is, the same genes in the same order – but may carry different versions of those genes. Khan Academy explains your chromosomes.

Genetically speaking, mammals are more like their fathers - ScienceDaily
You might resemble or act more like your mother, but a novel research study reveals that mammals are genetically more like their dads. Specifically, the research shows that although we inherit equal amounts of genetic mutations from our parents -- the mutations that make us who we are and not some other person -- we actually 'use' more of the DNA that we inherit from our dads.

Next Section »