Question

DNA replication in human cells occurs at a rate of about 50 base pairs per second, and the length of the longest human chromosome (chromosome 1) is 249 Mb (1Mb = 1x10^6 bp).

If DNA replication took place continuously from one end of chromosome 1 to the other, it would take approximately:

A) 2 seconds.
B) 2 minutes.
C) 2 hours.
D) 2 days.
E) 2 months.

Answer 1

E) 2 months.

Step-by-step explanation:

DNA replication is a process that takes place simultaneously at many sites (i.e., origins of replication) along the DNA sequence, which makes it incredibly fast. During replication, each DNA strand serves as template and they are used by a DNA polymerase to synthesize the new DNA molecules. DNA replication is semiconservative because each new double helix will have one old (original) and one new DNA strand