About

It is a long polymer made up of units called nucleotides, which are composed of a sugar molecule called deoxyribose, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or thymine (T). These bases form pairs through hydrogen bonding, with adenine always pairing with thymine, and cytosine with guanine. The sequence of these base pairs along the DNA molecule encodes the genetic information, providing instructions for the synthesis of proteins and other cellular activities. DNA is found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and in the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells. It is organized into structures called chromosomes, which are further packaged into the genome. DNA can undergo processes such as replication, transcription, and translation, allowing for the transfer and expression of genetic information. These processes play a crucial role in the inheritance of traits from parents to offspring and are fundamental to genetic studies and biotechnology. The discovery of the structure of DNA, known as the double helix, by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 was a breakthrough in genetics and revolutionized the field of molecular biology. Today, DNA analysis is widely used in various fields such as forensic science, paternity testing, evolutionary biology, and genetic engineering.