DNA

• what is DNA?

  the chemical that all of the genetic material in a cell is made up from
• what does DNA contain?

  it contains coded information, like all the instructions to put an organism together and make it work.
• what does DNA determine?

  the characteristics we inherit
• how is DNA structured in animal and plat cells?

  in really long structures called chromosomes
• how do chromosomes normally come?

  in pairs
• DNA is a polymer, it is in the shape of a?


  double helix
• what is a gene?

  a small section of DNA found on a chromosome
• • each gene codes for a particular sequence of amino acids which are put together to make a specific protein.
  • only 20 amino acids are used but they make up thousands of different proteins.
  • genes simply tell cells in what order to put amino acids together
• • DNA also determines what proteins the cell produces e.g haemoglobin or keratin
  • that then determines what type of cell it is, e.g red blood cell, skin cell.
• what is a genome?

  a term for the entire set of genetic material in an organism. scientists have worked out the complete human genome.
• how is understanding the human genome helpful for scientists and medicine?

  1. allows scientists to identify genes in genome that are linked to different types of diseases.
  2. knowing which genes are linked to inherited diseases could help us understand them better and help develop effective treatments for them.
  3. scientists can look at genomes to trace the migration of certain populations of people around the world. by investigating differences, they can work out when new populations split off in a different direction and what route they took.