by Svara Jayasinghe
Have you ever wondered what DNA is? I was watching an episode of NOVA Wonders called “Can We Make Life?” that got me thinking about DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a molecule that contains our genetic code. The genetic code is what makes living things have certain characteristics. For an example, my skin is brown because my genetic code has instructions to make a chemical called Melanin that makes my skin brown. DNA exists in every living thing. In humans, DNA is located in the nucleus. The structure of DNA is called a double-helix that has two DNA strands that are twisted around each other. You can think of this like a twisted ladder. Each DNA strand is a row of four different chemicals called Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G). These chemicals are called nucleotides. The nucleotide “A” pairs with “T” and “C” pairs with “G”. This pattern is always the same, and does not vary. DNA is inherited by children from their parents. This is why children share traits or features, like hair color, eye color, and skin color, with their parents.
If you want to know more about DNA, you should watch the episode of NOVA Wonders: “Can We Make Life?” at:
https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-wonders-can-we-make-life-dzcxg8/