What is DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)?
• The chemical that forms the basis of the genetic material in virtually all living organisms. A long chain polymer of deoxyribonucleotides. It is a molecule that forms the basis for encoding the genetic information of most organisms; composed of two complementary strands of nucleotides organized in a double helix and capable of self-replication. In cells of higher life forms, DNA is organized into chromosomes in the nucleus and is found in a circular form in organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. The sequence of nucleotides provides the information that is passed on to offspring. • DNA is (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) the chemical that forms the basis of the genetic material in virtually all living organisms. It is made up of four similar chemicals (called bases and abbreviated A, T, C and G) that are repeated millions or billions of times throughout a genome. The human genome, for example, has 3 billion pairs of bases.
