Re: what would be the total length of all the dna in one human cell?

Hi Jesse!

If we assume that when you stretch the DNA out into a straight line, it still retains the typical B-form helix structure and that a single human genome contains about 3 billion base pairs (3 x 10^9), then we get the following:

(3,000,000,000 base pairs) x (3.4 angstroms per base pair) = 10,200,000,000 angstroms long

Now, 1 angstrom is equal to 0.0000000001 meter. So, the length of the human genome is about:

1.02 meters or around 40 inches

Thanks for the great question!
Brian