What Is DNA?
DNA is the information passed on from generation to generation and contains all the instructions for making a human being. It is often referred to as the Blueprint of Life. The basic building blocks of DNA are units called bases (or letters) known as As (Adenine) Cs (Cytosine) Gs (Guanine) and Ts (Thymine). These can be thought of as beads. These units are strung together in a linear fashion like string of beads or a pearl necklace. DNA in nature takes the form of a double helix. Therefore two strings of beads or pearls are intertwined together forming a staircase like entity. This staircase is held together by rungs. The rungs are two bases which have a strong affinity for one another. Each rung of the two bases is called a base pair. There are only specific pairings between the bases, A always pairs with T and C always pairs with G. This is called complimentary base pairing.
DNA or DeoxyriboNucleic Acid is the molecule sometimes known as the blueprint of life. It contains the genetic code that exists in each cell of our bodies and is found throughout nature in living things. Genealogists can compare certain sequences or markers on specific chromosomes between living individuals in hopes of finding common ancestors.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is found in all the cells of our body, it is our blueprint and DNA molecules are passed down through generations within a family. The molecular structure of DNA is similar to a twisted ladder made of two strands, known as a ‘helix’. The strands of DNA contain information in the form of a code, which in turn determines our individual traits and characteristics. There are four types of DNA building block and the order in which these occur is our genetic code. Half of a person’s DNA is inherited from their mother, and half is inherited from the father. However, while fingerprints have no value for establishing family relationships, the minor variations in our DNA sequence do have value, because they are inherited from preceding family members.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It is the hereditary material that determines a persons physical characteristics such as height, eye colour, and hair colour. We inherit half of our DNA from our father, and the other half from our mother. The mothers mitochondrial DNA, together with 23 chromosomes from each parent combine to form the genome of a fertilized egg. As a result, with certain exceptions, such as red blood cells, most human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, together with mitochondrial DNA inherited from the mother. Except for identical twins, each persons DNA is unique. Siblings inherit different combinations of DNA from the same parents and are therefore different from each other. A persons DNA profile can be compared with that of another individual to deduce their relationship with each other.
