Deoxyribonucleic Acid

DNA
Jennifer. J. Farr
What is DNA?
It is the genetic material
that makes up all cellular
organisms and most
viruses.
Where do you find
DNA?
In the nucleus of every
cell in a living
organism.
Does DNA have a
special job?
It is a molecule that
provides instructions
(blueprints) for
building different
pieces of a cell.
What does a DNA
molecule look like?
It takes on the
form of a twisted
ladder shape that
scientists call a
“double-helix”
 Why are the rungs of the
“double helix” of the DNA
different colors?
Each color represents
a letter of the DNA
alphabet:
A, C, T, and G
 Why are the rungs of the
“double helix” of the DNA
split?
The DNA alphabet letters
bond together:
A always bonds with T
C always bonds with G
What do the letters of the
DNA alphabet represent?
A = adenine
T = thymine
C = cytosine
These are all
G = guanine called BASES
 Click on the
Double-Helix to go
to a web site where
you can build a
DNA strand that
contains five base
pairs
Now that you have learned a
little about DNA why not
watch an interactivemovie
that features DNA?

(Click on this bag of

popcorn to view the
movie.)
Now that you are a DNA expert
it’s time to explore some web
resources that feature DNA and
the role DNA plays in genetics.

Click on the Genetic

Science Learning
Center logo to access
their web site.