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Hey there! Ready to unlock the secrets of life? Let's explore how DNA acts as your body's ultimate instruction manual!
DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It is a long, winding molecule found inside almost every cell of your body, carrying the instructions that make you unique.
The structure of DNA looks like a twisted ladder, which scientists call a double helix. The rungs of this ladder are made of four chemical bases that pair up in a very specific way.
In DNA, the four bases are Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G). Adenine always pairs with Thymine (A-T), and Cytosine always pairs with Guanine (C-G).
Heredity is the passing of these genetic instructions from parents to offspring. Half of your DNA instructions come from your biological mother, and the other half from your biological father.
If one side of a DNA strand has the sequence A - T - C - G, what will the matching complementary sequence be on the opposite side?
- Recall the base pairing rules: Adenine (A) always pairs with Thymine (T).
- Recall the second pair rule: Cytosine (C) always pairs with Guanine (G).
- Look at the first letter, 'A'. Its matching partner is 'T'.
- Look at the second letter, 'T'. Its matching partner is 'A'.
- Look at the third letter, 'C'. Its matching partner is 'G'.
- Look at the fourth letter, 'G'. Its matching partner is 'C'.
- Combine them together to get the final matching sequence: T - A - G - C.