wie viel gene hat der mensch — what does this mean exactly?

The question 'How many genes does a human have?' seems straightforward but is scientifically nuanced. Early estimates exceeded 100,000, but after the Human Genome Project (2003) the confirmed number of protein-coding genes is about 20,000–21,000. Additionally, there are thousands of non-coding genes (e.g., for regulatory RNAs), bringing the total functional gene count to roughly 60,000. However, the definition of a 'gene' is fluid: does it include only protein-coding regions or also regulatory elements? For consumers, the number alone says little about complexity – alternative splicing allows one gene to produce many different proteins. Moreover, individual genetic variation (SNPs, copy number variants) makes each person unique. A test like MyBody-X analyzes only a tiny fraction of these genes (often <1 %) and cannot provide a complete genetic map. So the answer is: about 20,000 protein-coding genes, but the total depends on definition. Crucially, gene count does not equal complexity.