Thought about DNA that popped into my head - Finite amount of sequences?

I don't know how this idea popped into my head but I was thinking about DNA. So everyone has their own little code for who they are. Wouldn't this mean that there are only a certain number of possible combinations? If there are billions of base pairs per DNA molecule, and only 4 ways that each one can be arranged, doesnt that meant that there is a finite number of possible combination you can come up with. Does this meant there are only a certain number of people that can live without having exactly the same DNA. I know the number would be huge (4x4x4....billions of times) but there have been alot of people...

I'm a believer in this 2012 thing and this idea makes me think that maybe we will reach that number by then, and our DNA will take on new form

Hope I didn't lose anyones interest with the 2012 idea.. but that is my reference point for anything involved in this board.


If I am completely wrong please say so

Originally posted by Mushroom Fields Forever
I don't know how this idea popped into my head but I was thinking about DNA. So everyone has their own little code for who they are. Wouldn't this mean that there are only a certain number of possible combinations? If there are billions of base pairs per DNA molecule, and only 4 ways that each one can be arranged, doesnt that meant that there is a finite number of possible combination you can come up with. Does this meant there are only a certain number of people that can live without having exactly the same DNA. I know the number would be huge (4x4x4....billions of times) but there have been alot of people...

I'm a believer in this 2012 thing and this idea makes me think that maybe we will reach that number by then, and our DNA will take on new form

Hope I didn't lose anyones interest with the 2012 idea.. but that is my reference point for anything involved in this board.


If I am completely wrong please say so

I dont know much about DNA but what you say makes some sense to me. Everything in life, the universe, is based on math and if a specific DNA code is what makes us "us" then i suppose that it is possible that this is where the idea of re-incarnation comes in to play.. just a thought

you're not at all wrong there are only a finite(loosely used) number of sequences that the base pairs can be aranged in. However do to the randomness of gene transfer through genetic recombination (mostly on the male side) in the formation of gambet sex cells the possibility of 2 people having all thier basepairs wind up in exactly the same order are astronomical at best(excluding twins). As a side bar this is why people you don't know sometimes look familliar to you, there are only a certain number of distinct facial fetures coded for in the human genome.

sorry if this expination seems a bit disconected genetics is a very broad subject to say the least

[edit on 21-1-2007 by tric9]