Hey there fellow Steemians! Today I have an interesting post; How does our DNA work? It is a question which many surprisingly do not know, so I going to explain :) Remember, if you enjoy the post, be sure to leave an Upvote and Follow me for more great content!
DNA
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. This acid is the master molecule of each cell in the body. It contains data, such as genetics, and will then be passed down the successive generation. DNA also controls the creation of proteins and other molecules in the body. If a cell happens to become damaged, then it may cause the cell to die as it could be beyond repair.
Structure of DNA
DNA is a nucleic acid which provides information and contains the required molecules in a cell. An example of an acid would be ribonucleic acid. The thing that is amazing to me is that DNA is found in every single cell in the human body! DNA can guide the cell in making new proteins which declare our biological traits. And once 1 cell is created, they will continue to copy towards the next generation.
Organising DNA?
DNA is a long molecule. If we draw out the size of DNA, the molecule would be about 1 millimeter long. To fit inside a cell, the DNA is highly coiled and twisted into one circular chromosome. Complex organisms, like plants and animals, have 50,000 to 100,000 genes on many different chromosomes (humans have 46 chromosomes). In the cells of these organisms, the DNA is twisted around bead-like proteins called histones. These are also coiled tightly to form chromosomes, which are located in the nucleus of the cell. When a cell reproduces, the chromosomes (DNA) get copied and distributed to each offspring, or daughter cell. During meiosis, cells have two copies of each chromosome that gets copied and distributed equally to four sex cells.
Replication
DNA carries the information for making all of the cells proteins. These proteins add all of the functions of a living organism and determine the organism's characteristics. When the cell reproduces, all genetics, or information has to be passed on to the daughter cells. The structure of DNA lends itself easily to DNA replication. Each side of the double helix runs in opposite directions. A great design of this structure is that it can unzip down the middle and each side can serve as a pattern or template for the other side.
Visual Terms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNKWgcFPHqw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K8Y0ATkkAI
(Thanks to @araki for these clips!)
Thanks for reading this post! Again, make sure you Upvote and Follow me for more content! See you later :)
Jack
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