DNA

• DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It's a chemical that all of the generic material in a cell is made up from.
• A gene is 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 tell cells in what order to put the amino acids together
• DNA determines what proteins the cell produces e.g haemoglobin, keratin. That in turn determines what type of cell it is (red blood cell, skin cell).
• Genome is the term for the entire set of generic material in an organism.
• Understanding the human genome allows scientists to identify genes in the genome that are linked to different types of disease.
• Knowing which genes are linked to inherited diseases could help us to understands them better and could help us to develop effective treatments for them.
• Scientists can look at genomes to trace the migration of certian populations of people around the world.
• Modern humans are descended from a common Ancestor who lived in Africa, but humans can now be found all over the world.
• The human genome is mostly identical in all individuals, but as different populations of people migrated from Africa, they gradually developed tiny differences in their genomes.
• By investigating these differences, scientists can work out when new populations split off in a different direction, and what route they take.
• DNA contains coded information to out an organism together and make it work.
• DNA is found in the Nucleus of both plant and animal cells in long structures called chromosomes.
• DNA is a polymer. It's made up of two strands coiled together in a shape of a double helix.