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Originally Posted by The_Radiation_Specialist
1) I understand different species have different number of chromosomes but what do these numbers actually represent? i.e. What is the significance of Humans and hares having both 46 chromosomes?
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Very little, if any. The number of choromosome pairs varies greatly between species.
Fruit flies have just four pairs, while
some species of fern have over 600. Chimpanzees and gorillas have 24 and humans have 23 -- it seems that two chromosomes fused when our species was formed.
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Originally Posted by The_Radiation_Specialist
2) If we found the DNA of, say, Isaac Newton and since thats the code that includes every instruction to build him, would it be possible to make a clone of him with current technology? With hypothetical technology?
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We can't clone humans today.
Hypothetically, we may be able to do so in the future, but cloning Newton's genome is not the same as making an exact replica of Isaac Newton. He did not equal his genome. What made Newton into a genius -- his genes, his childhood, his society and times, all of the above? And be careful what you wish for; he was also a bit of a *******.