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the importance of DNA in the human cell
the importance of DNA
the structure of dna
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DNA is the basic substance in the life forms you see around you, yet it is a complicated concept. Your DNA determines the color of your eyes, skin, hair and enable functions such as your sight and hearing. DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid which contains the biological aspects that make everyone individually different. DNA is all contained in one molecule, and there are millions of tightly packaged DNA cells all throughout many life forms making it the building block of the DNA.
In the late 1860’s, a Swiss chemist named Friedrich Miescher first identified DNA. It can be said that he successfully completed the first part of the gene puzzle. He found what he called nuclein in the pus he extracted from a surgical bandage. He called it “nuclein” because it was found in the nucleus of the cell. The term “nuclein” was later changed to “nucleic acid” and eventually to “Deoxyribonucleic Acid” or “DNA.” At this point, many scientists did not realize how important this information was, therefore many ignored this information. Then, in 1919, an American biochemist named Phoebus Levene laid the groundwork for the future studies of DNA. He was the first to identify and explain how the nucleic acid components, sugar and phosphate, combine to form nucleotides. Next, Erwin Chargaff, a student of Cambridge, fortified the foundation of studies that had already been made. He created a set of rules called “Chargaff’s rules.” The first rule he established is that, in human DNA, the number of adenine components equals the number of thymine components and the number of guanine components equals the number of cytosine components. The second rule he established was that the form of DNA is different in a human compared to in an animal. He found strong ...
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... image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Works Cited
Barker, Kenneth L., and Donald W. Burdick. Zondervan NIV study Bible: New International Version. Fully rev. ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2002. Print.
"Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Fact Sheet." Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Fact Sheet. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
"Dictionary." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .
Fulbright, Jeannie K., and Ryan Brooke. Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology. Anderson, IN: Apologia Educational Ministries, 2010. Print.
"What is DNA?." What is DNA?. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. .
Wile, Jay L.. Exploring Creation with Biology. Anderson, Ind.: Apologia Educational Ministries, 1998. Print.
No one knew how heredity (passing traits) worked until Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, crossbred pea plants in his monastery kitchen garden in 1865. In 1869, gene-hunters found rod-like shape in the nucleus of cells that turned red when dye was added. They named this “Chromosome”, from a Greek word, chroma for color. They also went deeper into the cell and discovered a wispy microscopic thread within the chromosomes, which they named DNA. There were several scientists who did not know about Mendel’s breakthrough at the time, but then in 1900, they rediscovered his experiment and old journal copies.
DNA is the blueprint of life from its creation to its development and until its death. The discovery of the structure of DNA not only revolutionized science and medicine, but it also affected many other facets of existence: evolutionary, industrial, legal, and criminal justice. Its incarnation has benefitted American families and industries and spurred scientific innovation throughout the country. Aptly stated by Francis Crick, “your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of identity and freewill, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. As Lewis Carroll’s Alice might have phrased it: ‘you’re nothing but a pack of neurons.’ [Watson and my] discovery illustrates how that is possible.”
In April of 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published a game changing paper. It would blow the mind of the scientific community and reshape the entire landscape of science. DNA, fully knows as Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the molecule that all genes are made of. Though it is a relatively new term with regard to the age of science, the story of DNA and the path to its discovery covers a much broader timeframe and had many more contributors than James Watson and Francis Crick. After reading the paper the audience should have a better understanding of what DNA is, the most important experiments that contributed to its ultimate discovery and the names and contributions of the lesser-known scientists that helped Watson and Crick turn their idea
DNA is composed of three major factors: a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and nitrogenous bases (Biology pg. 259-260). The first major factor is the five-carbon sugar, which is a sugar molecule known as deoxyribose. The second major factor is phosphate group, which acts as a type of backbone and allows the DNA, as well as RNA, the opportunity to form the long chains of nucleotides “by the process of dehydration synthesis (Biology pg. 260).” The third main component is the nitrogenous bases, which can be a purine group, or a two-ringed structure; or a pyrimidine, which is a single-ringed structure.
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a molecule found in in the nucleus of all cells in the body which carries our genetic information. DNA is found in the form of chromosomes, with a total of 23 pairs in the human body1. DNA holds the genetic coding for all our characteristics, i.e. our eye colour, body shape, and how we interact with others on a daily basis.
The essential component of life can be acknowledged and is made up of a nucleic acid known as DNA. DNA is the abbreviated form for the word deoxyribonucleic acid and it is the “carrier of genetic information” (McMurry, Ballantine, Hoeger, & Peterson, 1992, pg. 775). DNA contains the genetic instructions that are needed for an organism to develop, survive, and replicate, as it plays a crucial role in living systems that makes each species unique and distinctive. The multifaceted material is stored in every cell of every living organisms and it contains information about our nature, appearance, performance, etc. With the instructions that it contains, DNA is passed from the adult organism to their offspring during reproduction. (McMurry, Ballantine, Hoeger, & Peterson, 1992, pg.777).
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Fully rev. ed. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker, et al. 1985. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Print.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Fully rev. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008. Print.
Many people have wondered what it is exactly that makes us...human. What is it that separates us from one another that makes us unique? DNA and Genes is what makes every person up. Everyone is different because of it. Humans are different from each other by their skin color, their facial features, and it’s all due to Deoxyribonucleic Acid. DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid is a molecule that contains the genetic instructions that are used in the functioning, the development, and the reproduction that is a necessity to humans and other living organisms.
Theoretical models for the molecular structure of DNA can be likened to scientific theories. DNA’s structure was determined largely because scientists scrutinized the relationship between theory (a particular theoretical model of DNA) and observation (x-ray crystallographic patterns, or bonding patterns between bases and sugar-phosphate groups, for example). Inductivists, falsificationists, Kuhn, and Feyerabend all have different accounts of how scientists have related theory to observation. These accounts are important because, not only do they delineate frameworks scientists use to develop their theories, but because these frameworks subsequently became important in developing a theory for the molecular structure of DNA.
DNA is a double-stranded helix, with the two strands connected by hydrogen bonds. A base are always paired with Ts, and Cs are always paired with Gs, which is consistent with and accounts for ...
DNA – the very molecule that defines who we are. It is still fascinating that a molecule that is so small that is not visible to the naked eye determines not just our physical appearance but also our mental wellbeing. Over 60 years, the discovery of the double helix DNA had impacted various fields relating to Biology and Chemistry, contributing to the advancement of technology and subsequently mankind too.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic exists in all living organisms, is self-replicating and gives a person their unique characteristics. No two people have the same matching DNA. There are many different forms of DNA that are tested for situations such as criminal. Bodily fluids, hair follicles and bone tissues are some of the most common types of DNA that is tested in crime labs today. Although the discovery of DNA dates back to 1866 when Gregor Mendel proved the inheritance of factors in pea plants, DNA testing is relatively new and have been the prime factor when solving crimes in general. In 1966, scientists discovered a genetic code that made it possible to predict characteristics by studying DNA. This lead to genetic engineering and genetic counseling. In 1980, Organ was the first to have a conviction based off DNA fingerprinting and DNA testing in forensics cases became famous in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial (SMC History , 2011).
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating molecule or material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent in chromosomes. It encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Simply put, DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. The discovery and use of DNA has seen many changes and made great progress over many years. James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The three won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work (Bagley, 2013). Scientist use the term “double helix” to describe DNA’s winding, two-stranded chemical structure. This shape looks much like a twisted ladder and gives the DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision.
Barker, Kenneth L.. Zondervan NIV study Bible: New International Version. 2008 update. ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2008. Print.