Did you know... This Schools selection was originally chosen by SOS Children for schools in the developing world without internet access. It is available as a intranet download. A good way to help other children is by sponsoring a child Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Along with RNA and proteins, DNA is one of the three major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life. Genetic information is encoded as a sequence of nucleotides ( guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine) recorded using the letters G, A, T, and C. Most DNA molecules are double-stranded helices, consisting of two long polymers of simple units called nucleotides, molecules with backbones made of alternating sugars ( deoxyribose) and phosphate groups (related to phosphoric acid), with the nucleobases (G, A, T, C) attached to the sugars. DNA is well-suited for biological information storage, since the DNA backbone is resistant to cleavage and the double-stranded structure provides the molecule with a built-in duplicate of the encoded information. These two strands run in opposite directions to each other and are therefore anti-parallel, one backbone being 3' … Continue reading →

Follow All living things have a special genetic makeup that is unique to their species. Animals, plants, single-celled organisms, and even some viruses contain deoxyribonucleic acid, also called DNA, which contains these genes. They are responsible in creating new cells and for holding the blueprints of the organism. Currently, geneticists are studying DNA in order to understand how to fight certain diseases, and also to figure out how to artificially replicate DNA strands in order to create cells in a laboratory setting. DNA is one of the most significant parts of any living organism. It makes up the building blocks of all individual creatures and is directly responsible for all the traits of a creature. Color, size, shape, and any deformations that may occur are all a result of the unique DNA strands that are formed when the organism is developing. Through DNA replication, cells can divide and tissue damage can be repaired. DNA is also allowing scientists to help find cures for many genetic diseases or conditions that are prevalent today. Some examples of these genetic diseases, which are results of faulty or mutated DNA, are Down's Syndrome and sickle-cell anemia. A single strand of DNA features two base … Continue reading →

DNA is one of the nucleic acids, information-containing molecules in the cell (ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is the other nucleic acid). DNA is found in the nucleus of every human cell. (See the sidebar at the bottom of the page for more about RNA and different types of cells). The information in DNA: The key to all of these functions is found in the molecular structure of DNA, as described by Watson and Crick. Although it may look complicated, the DNA in a cell is really just a pattern made up of four different parts called nucleotides. Imagine a set of blocks that has only four shapes, or an alphabet that has only four letters. DNA is a long string of these blocks or letters. Each nucleotide consists of a sugar (deoxyribose) bound on one side to a phosphate group and bound on the other side to a nitrogenous base. There are two classes of nitrogen bases called purines (double-ringed structures) and pyrimidines (single-ringed structures). The four bases in DNA's alphabet are: Watson and Crick discovered that DNA had two sides, or strands, and that these strands were twisted together like a twisted ladder -- the double helix. The sides … Continue reading →