definitions

• Genetics


  Study of genes, heredity, and how traits are passed from one generation to the next
• DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)


  Molecule that carries genetic information in living organisms and is responsible for inheritance
• RNA (Ribonucleic acid)


  Molecule that helps in the synthesis of proteins by carrying genetic information from DNA to the ribosomes
• Nucleotides


  Building blocks of DNA and RNA, consisting of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
• Phosphate


  Molecule made up of phosphorus and oxygen that forms part of the backbone of DNA and RNA
• Deoxyribose


  Sugar component of DNA nucleotides, lacking one oxygen atom compared to ribose
• Ribose


  Sugar component of RNA nucleotides
• Nitrogen base


  Part of a nucleotide that contains nitrogen and is responsible for base-pairing in DNA and RNA (adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil in RNA)
• Genetic code


  Sequence of nucleotides in DNA and RNA that determines the amino acid sequence in proteins
• Polymer


  Large molecule made up of many repeated subunits, like DNA or RNA made up of nucleotides
• Condensation reaction


  Chemical reaction where two molecules combine to form a larger molecule, releasing water in the process
• Complementary pairs


  Pairs of nitrogen bases in DNA that bond together (adenine with thymine, and cytosine with guanine)
• Polynucleotides


  Long chains of nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA
• Antiparallel


  Opposite orientation of the two strands of DNA in the double helix
• DNA Replication


  DNA makes a copy of itself before cell division
• Gene expression


  Information in a gene is used to produce a functional product, like a protein
• Virus


  Small infectious agent that requires a host cell to replicate and can cause disease
• Homeostasis


  Organisms maintain a stable internal environment
• Metabolism


  All the chemical reactions that occur within an organism to maintain life, including those that break down molecules to release energy and those that build up molecules