Cells or DNA; which is more important in determining what we are? We have been taught that DNA is what determines who we are and how we are formed, yet scientists are finding out this is not necessarily true. Cells are actually the architects of life. While genetics are important, the cells are what multiply and eventually turn into us. Change the DNA using CRISPR technology and you may not get what you think. Recently, scientists have been rethinking the idea of DNA with an expanded model depending on the region your family came from. They did this to be more effective and curing and treating diseases, something that is often difficult to do. I found a great article that investigates the growing understanding of genetics and why it is cell, but not DNA dependent. Cells, Not DNA, Are The Master Architects Of Life Far from being a blueprint for an organism, genes are mere tools used by life’s true expert builders: cells. BY ALFONSO MARTINEZ ARIAS MAY 30, 2023 Every animal and plant on Earth has an awesome beauty: the majesty of an oak, the delicate fabric of a butterfly, the grace of a gazelle, the imperious presence of a whale and, of course, us humans, with our mixture of wonders and fatal flaws. Where does it all come from? In Mayan tradition, the answer is corn; other cultures suggest various forms of egg as the source. In many stories, the origin is some clay-like material shaped by the might and imagination of a powerful entity that breathes life into it. From such starts, multiplication follows and the Earth is populated, though the details of how this happens are scant. Over the past century, scientists have discovered a material explanation for the source of life, one that needs no divine intervention and provides a thread across eons of time for all beings that exist or have ever existed: deoxyribonucleic acid — DNA. While there is little doubt that genes have something to do with what we are and how we come to be, it is difficult to answer precisely the question of what their exact role in all of this is. Read more