DNA is like a special code that holds all the information about living things. Here’s how it works:
What DNA Looks Like: DNA is shaped like a twisted ladder, which we call a double helix. The sides of this ladder are made of sugar and phosphate. The steps or rungs of the ladder are made up of pairs of special molecules called nitrogenous bases. These bases are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine.
How Bases Pair Up: The bases have specific pairs: adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine always pairs with guanine. This pairing forms a unique sequence that gives us information. For example, if we have a sequence like ATCG, it can stand for a certain trait, like eye color.
What Are Genes?: Parts of the DNA are called genes. These genes are in charge of telling our body how to make proteins, which help decide how we look and how our bodies work.
Each person has a different mix of genes, and that's what makes us unique!
DNA is like a special code that holds all the information about living things. Here’s how it works:
What DNA Looks Like: DNA is shaped like a twisted ladder, which we call a double helix. The sides of this ladder are made of sugar and phosphate. The steps or rungs of the ladder are made up of pairs of special molecules called nitrogenous bases. These bases are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine.
How Bases Pair Up: The bases have specific pairs: adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine always pairs with guanine. This pairing forms a unique sequence that gives us information. For example, if we have a sequence like ATCG, it can stand for a certain trait, like eye color.
What Are Genes?: Parts of the DNA are called genes. These genes are in charge of telling our body how to make proteins, which help decide how we look and how our bodies work.
Each person has a different mix of genes, and that's what makes us unique!