DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
DNA is found in the nucleus of every cell. It is often referred to as the genetic code of life.
Parts of DNA have genes that carry genetic information or codes, which are passed from parents to their children. Genes determine the characteristics of all living things. Genes also determine if a plant produces flowers, smells sweet, tastes sour, has thorns, produces fruit, grows tall, or wide, or even loses its leaves. Genes account for many variations or differences. Thanks to advanced technology, scientists can actually transfer genes found in DNA to get a trait they want.
Check out this interactive video from BrainPop on DNA!
Parts of DNA have genes that carry genetic information or codes, which are passed from parents to their children. Genes determine the characteristics of all living things. Genes also determine if a plant produces flowers, smells sweet, tastes sour, has thorns, produces fruit, grows tall, or wide, or even loses its leaves. Genes account for many variations or differences. Thanks to advanced technology, scientists can actually transfer genes found in DNA to get a trait they want.
Check out this interactive video from BrainPop on DNA!
As discussed in the BrainPop video above with Tim and Moby, DNA can be compared to a computer program for our bodies. Everyone's DNA is different except for identical twins, which are basically clones. Nearly every cell in the body has DNA inside, which can be found within the nucleus. DNA is in the shape of a spiral called a double helix, which in turn comes in long strands called chromosomes.
Every strand of DNA contains millions of pairs of molecular compounds called bases. Normally, there are only four chemicals or nucleotides that pair up with one another in DNA. Each nucleotide has a 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose), a nitrogen containing base attached to the sugar, and a phosphate group. The four different types of nucleotides inside DNA only differ in the nitrogenous base. Each base has been given a one-letter abbreviation:
Since a DNA chain is so long (the video on the home page of this project referenced DNA, when rolled out, would be long enough to stretch from the earth to the Sun and back over 100 times), the base pairs can arrange themselves in millions of different sequences or combinations, this accounts for so many differences among people, plants, and animals. This order in how the base pairs line up is referred to as a code, which results in a different trait (eye color, size of your ears, or whether you'll develop a certain disease - see UNDERSTANDING TRAITS in the tab above) and each one of these small DNA sections is called a gene, which your parents can pass down to you. This is how we inherit traits from both our mom and our dad.
As discussed in the video with respect to cloning, which is basically replicating and then growing the same DNA structure to produce an identical being (human, animal, plant). Cloning is a controversial topic and not discussed further in this project. Genetic modification is when scientists insert genes into a plant to get a better yield with good characteristics like bigger fruits and vegetables or corn that don't require pesticides. Many concerns about this process need to be researched further because plants could end up cross-breeding with nearby plants, which would produce unpredictable results.
Mapping the human genome is an incredible scientific accomplishment and will be discussed in more depth in this project. A genome is the sum of all an organism's genes. The genome contains about 6 billion letters which make up the code or information contained in the DNA of a human being. A rough draft of the human genome was published in the year 2000, at this point, about 90% of the entire human genome has been mapped, and scientists believe there are between 20,000 and 25,000 human genes.
Every strand of DNA contains millions of pairs of molecular compounds called bases. Normally, there are only four chemicals or nucleotides that pair up with one another in DNA. Each nucleotide has a 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose), a nitrogen containing base attached to the sugar, and a phosphate group. The four different types of nucleotides inside DNA only differ in the nitrogenous base. Each base has been given a one-letter abbreviation:
- A is for adenine
- G is for guanine
- C is for cytosine
- T is for thymine
Since a DNA chain is so long (the video on the home page of this project referenced DNA, when rolled out, would be long enough to stretch from the earth to the Sun and back over 100 times), the base pairs can arrange themselves in millions of different sequences or combinations, this accounts for so many differences among people, plants, and animals. This order in how the base pairs line up is referred to as a code, which results in a different trait (eye color, size of your ears, or whether you'll develop a certain disease - see UNDERSTANDING TRAITS in the tab above) and each one of these small DNA sections is called a gene, which your parents can pass down to you. This is how we inherit traits from both our mom and our dad.
As discussed in the video with respect to cloning, which is basically replicating and then growing the same DNA structure to produce an identical being (human, animal, plant). Cloning is a controversial topic and not discussed further in this project. Genetic modification is when scientists insert genes into a plant to get a better yield with good characteristics like bigger fruits and vegetables or corn that don't require pesticides. Many concerns about this process need to be researched further because plants could end up cross-breeding with nearby plants, which would produce unpredictable results.
Mapping the human genome is an incredible scientific accomplishment and will be discussed in more depth in this project. A genome is the sum of all an organism's genes. The genome contains about 6 billion letters which make up the code or information contained in the DNA of a human being. A rough draft of the human genome was published in the year 2000, at this point, about 90% of the entire human genome has been mapped, and scientists believe there are between 20,000 and 25,000 human genes.
Purine Bases, Structure of A & G
Adenine and guanine are purines. Purines are the larger bases (there are two types) in DNA. There are 9 atoms that make-up the rings (5 carbon, 4 nitrogen).
Pyrimidine Bases, Structure of T & C
Cytosine and thymine are pyrimidines. There are 6 bands (4 carbon, 2 nitrogen).
Deoxyribose Sugar, Structure of Deoxyribose
The deoxyribose sugar is basically the backbone of DNA and has 5 carbons and 3 oxygens. Parts of the carbon atoms actually link to the phosphate groups to form the DNA backbone.
Nucleosides, Structure of dA
A nucleoside is one of the four DNA bases attached to a sugar. A nucleotide is a nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups.
DNA Backbone
The DNA backbone is a polymer with an alternating sugar-phosphate sequence.
Structure of DNA Double Helix
DNA is normally found as a double stranded macromolecule. Two polynucleotide chains are held together by weak thermodynamic forces to form a DNA molecule.