Human Body

DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, is the part of living things that contains the instructions needed for development and bodily functions.

 

DNA is made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). These bases pair up inside of the DNA, forming the rungs on the well known double helix ladder. A pairs with T and C pairs with G forming the base pairs of DNA. The order of these pairs determines the information that the DNA carries. Of this information over 99% is the same in all human beings.

 

One special property of DNA is it can replicate itself. It is required to do this so that new DNA can be generated when cells divide. Within the cells, DNA organizes itself into long strands called chromosomes. The new cell needs an exact copy of the chromosome from the old cell, and therefore undergoes the replication process.