The structure and function of DNA in inheritance
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What is the structure and function of DNA? How the structure of DNA allows it to serve as the basis for inheritance.
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Solution Summary
DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid's structure is often described as a double helix. A DNA molecule consists of two chains of nucleotides (polymers of nucleic acid each composed of a phosphate, a five carbon sugar, and a nitrogenous base) that spiral to form the double helix shape. The nucleotides that form the DNA structure are organized so their sugar-phosphate components face the outside and form the backbone of the structure, whereas the nitrogenous bases face inward. These bases are not all the same, there are four types in DNA: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine. When the two chains of DNA come together to form a helix the bases of one strand bond with the bases of the other with Adenines only bonding with Thymines and Guanine only binding with Cytosines. DNA molecules are basically long strands of nucleotides. Groups of nucleotides are called genes. Therefore, each DNA molecule consists of hundreds or thousands of genes, each occupying a different section of the strand and genes are grouped into chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs of chromosomes.
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DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid's structure is often described as a double helix. A DNA molecule consists of two chains of nucleotides (polymers of nucleic acid each composed of a phosphate, a five carbon sugar, and a nitrogenous base) that spiral to form the double helix shape. The nucleotides that form the DNA structure are organized so their sugar-phosphate components face the outside and form the backbone of the structure, whereas the nitrogenous bases face inward. These bases are not all the same, there are four types in DNA: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine. When the two chains of DNA come together to form a ...
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