Mondo Knows Facts

Stretched DNA from a single cell measures about two metres long

Tightly packed chromosomes coil double-stranded DNA into tiny cell nuclei

If the double-stranded DNA molecules inside a single human cell nucleus were uncoiled and laid end to end, they would stretch about two metres long. Specialised histone proteins package this ultra-thin genetic material into compact microscopic chromosomes.

Human genome assembly GRCh38 chromosomes ideogram NCBI
National Center for Biotechnology Information, screenshot by Aarรณn Mayo ยท Public domain ยท source

Where this comes from

NIH

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Tags: dna, genetics, cells

Stretched DNA from a single cell measures about two metres long: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
Tightly packed chromosomes coil double-stranded DNA into tiny cell nuclei. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a human body fact?
Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?
The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.