Science Experiments | Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) - Introduction

Introduction

Your hair color, a leaf's shape, a bird's wing: These diverse features all share one key inherited trait known as deoxyribonucleic acidLarge, complex molecules found in the nuclei of cells that carry genetic information for an organism's development; double helix. (Pronounced DEE-ox-see-rye-bo-noo-klay-ick acid) or DNA. DNA is commonly called the building block of life, for it is the inherited substance that all characteristics build from. Passed down from generation to generation, DNA directs how an organism functions, develops, and appears. Every life form on Earth carries DNA. And unless you are an identical twin, your DNA is completely unique to you.

The findings of DNA have led to awesome advances in a wide range of fields, from medicine to crime solving. Researchers have used their knowledge of DNA to examine inherited diseases, produce medicines, study the relationships between species, and develop foods with desired characteristics. As the work to understand DNA continues, researchers hope that gaining knowledge about the molecule will help improve people's lives all over the world.