Written by Mackenzie Raue
In your lifetime, you'll never run into someone exactly like you, with all of the same traits. This is because of something called DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, which acts like an instruction book. DNA tells the body how to develop, survive, and reproduce, all while giving you the characteristics you were born with. DNA is passed down from adult organisms to their offspring, which is why kids often look like their parents.
DNA molecules have a complex structure, chemical substances are linked together like a chain. There are two of these chains in every DNA molecule, and they form a shape that looks like a ladder twisted into a spiral, which is called a double helix.
The chains are made up of nucleotides, which are organic molecules that consist of a nucleoside and a phosphate; types of atoms. There are 4 different types of nucleotides, adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. Chemicals called phosphates and sugars hold together the nucleotides, they are the sides of the latter. The nucleotides are linked to one another, creating base pairs.
The way that these bases are arranged is very important, it's what makes us all different. The bases form a code, and the code tells the cells to make amino acids, small molecules that form protein, which cells need to live.
So why is DNA so important? DNA molecules sort of act like a computer program, they are the ones giving cells instructions. We need cells to make our body function properly, they all do a different job. Without DNA, the cells wouldn't know what to do, like a computer without the programs needed to run it.
DNA is in every cell of every living thing, and it is located in a special part of the cell called the nucleus. They are tightly packed into the cell because there can be many DNA molecules, which creates something called a chromosome.
Chromosomes are still very tiny, scientists need a microscope to see them.
In conclusion, DNA is a molecule that is essential to life, it is what makes us all unique and carries all the information about how we look and function. The protein it produces is very important and does most of the work in our bodies.
Sources:
“Deoxyribonucleic Acid(DNA) Fact Sheet” National Human Genome Research Instutite(NIH),https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid-Fact-Sheet Accessed 3 January 2021
"Biology for Kids: DNA and Genes." Ducksters, Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), www.ducksters.com/science/biology/dna.php. Accessed 3 January 2021
“DNA” Britannica Kids, https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/DNA/390730 , accessed 3 January 2021
DNA replication Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia. Accessed 3 January 2021
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