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DNA
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Genetics. deoxyribonucleic acid: an extremely long macromolecule that is the
main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic
characteristics in all life forms, constructed of two nucleotide strands coiled
around each other in a ladderlike arrangement with the sidepieces composed of
alternating phosphate and deoxyribose units and the rungs composed of the purine
and pyrimidine bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine: the genetic
information of DNA is encoded in the sequence of the bases and is transcribed as
the strands unwind and replicate.Compare base pair, gene, genetic code, RNA.
the set of nongenetic traits, qualities, or features that characterize a person
or thing: Humility is just not in her DNA.
COMPARE MEANINGS
DNARNA
DNARNA polymerase
cDNADNA
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature
to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the
questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how
to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
ORIGIN OF DNA
1930–35; d(eoxyribo)n(ucleic)a(cid)
WORDS NEARBY DNA
DMT, D. Mus., DMV, DMZ, dn., DNA, DNAase, DNA chip, DNA fingerprint, DNA
fingerprinting, DNA methylation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ©
Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT DNA
WHAT IS DNA?
DNA is a large, complex molecule that allows cells to function and carries the
genetic code that determines the traits of a living organism.
DNA is in every cell of every living thing. Some viruses also have DNA.
Life as we know it wouldn’t exist without DNA—it contains the instructions that
cells need to function. DNA is found in the cell nucleus, and every cell in an
organism has the exact same copy of DNA that is in every other cell. Each cell
uses its copy of DNA whenever it needs to make a protein. Proteins have many
essential jobs within a living thing. For example, your immune system produces
proteins called antibodies to fight germs.
The information that’s in DNA controls the development of specific traits, such
as the shape of a leaf or the color of hair. Specifically, such traits are
determined by genes, which are segments of DNA within strands called
chromosomes. The set of all information contained in the DNA of any living
thing—all of its inheritable traits—is called its genome.
DNA is an abbreviation of deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a type of macromolecule
(a very large molecule—one composed of hundreds of thousands of atoms) known as
a nucleic acid. Nucleic acids are made of smaller molecules known as
nucleotides, which are made of a phosphate, a sugar, and nitrogen bases. The
four nitrogen bases in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and
cytosine (C).
DNA has a shape known as a double helix, which resembles a spiraled ladder. The
DNA ladder is built from two very long strands of nucleotides with the nitrogen
bases pairing together to form the rungs of the ladder. The bases form base
pairs, with adenine always paired to thymine and guanine always paired to
cytosine. The phosphate and sugar within the nucleotide act as the sides of the
ladder.
Because DNA only exists within the cell’s nucleus, the genetic information must
be distributed somehow. This is one of the roles of RNA, which is a
macromolecule that works alongside DNA to make proteins. During this process,
RNA acts as a kind of copy of the DNA that carries its genetic information
outside of the cell nucleus.
We took a microscopic look at the differences between DNA, RNA, and mRNA, and
their vital roles. Read all about it here!
WHY IS DNA IMPORTANT?
DNA is ancient, but its discovery was relatively recent. In 1869, chemist
Friedrich Miescher documented a kind of molecule that had never been studied
before—nucleic acid. It wasn’t until around the 1930s that the term DNA began to
be used. In the 1950s, the work of biophysicist Rosalind Franklin and biologists
James Watson and Francis Crick revealed DNA’s double helix structure.
Cells cannot make proteins without DNA. DNA acts as a set of instructions for
any protein that needs to be made.
The study of DNA is central to the field of science known as genetics. DNA
contains genetic information that is passed down from one generation to another.
You get roughly half of your DNA from your mother and half from your father.
This is the reason children look similar but not identical to their parents.
Despite the vast range of different physical traits that people can have, the
DNA of all humans is more than 99% identical. Human DNA is made of billions of
nitrogen bases, and even minor differences can result in two people that look
very different. (Identical twins are born with the exact same DNA.)
The order of nitrogen base pairs is what makes every person and every living
thing unique. For example, minor differences in this sequence determine whether
a person will have brown eyes or blue eyes.
DID YOU KNOW ... ?
DNA is analyzed in the study of human evolution. Our closest living biological
relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos, whose DNA is over 98% identical to ours.
This fact has contributed to the theory that humans and chimpanzees share a
common ancestor that lived millions of years ago.
WHAT ARE REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF DNA?
This illustration shows a simplified rendition of DNA’s double helix structure.
Getty. DNA double helix.
DNA is crucial to life, and learning about DNA is a crucial part of the study of
biology.
> A Change in One Gene Might've Made Our Brains Uniquely Human | "It's
> fascinating to see that a single base-pair alteration in human DNA can change
> how the brain is wired," said Prof Alysson R. Muotri, PhD.
> https://t.co/vIuJwTb0d0 pic.twitter.com/96Fy4IKAwh
>
> — LabRoots (@LabRoots) February 16, 2021
> Can the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines alter your DNA? The answer is NO. Discover why
> here, and learn more about other frequently asked questions by visiting
> https://t.co/BPTUBoss1t pic.twitter.com/rOXtQ3SX4Q
>
> — COVID-19 Prevention Network (@PreventCOVID_19) February 17, 2021
WHAT OTHER WORDS ARE RELATED TO DNA?
* gene
* chromosome
* genetics
* genome
* double helix
* macromolecule
* nucleic acid
* nucleotide
* nitrogen base
* base pair
* protein
* cell
* mitochondrial DNA
* RNA
QUIZ YOURSELF!
True or False?
DNA is essential to life because it contains instructions for the production of
proteins.
HOW TO USE DNA IN A SENTENCE
* Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a
billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8,
2015|DAILY BEAST
* Through his company, consumers will be able to cheaply make custom DNA
strands, including what Heinz calls “creatures.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8,
2015|DAILY BEAST
* DNA tests were used to confirm Albert's status as father in both cases,
following protracted legal battles.
Princess Charlene Gives Birth To Twins Gabriella and Jacques|Tom
Sykes|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
* The at-home genetics testing company 23andme, established in 2006, helps
people learn more about their “DNA relatives.”
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY
BEAST
* The story (and some DNA evidence) goes, the locals are the descendants of a
band of Roman soldiers from 36 B.C.
The Chinese Town Descended From Romans?|Nina Strochlic|December 4, 2014|DAILY
BEAST
* The Dna takes a westerly course towards the Gulf of Riga where it empties
near the city of that name.
The Story of Russia|R. Van Bergen, M.A.
* Another bishop sailed up the Dna with a fleet of twenty-three ships, and in
1200 founded Riga.
The Story of Russia|R. Van Bergen, M.A.
* This is a pitiful admission for a biochemist to make—DNA should be the
cornerstone of his life.
Card Trick|Walter Bupp AKA Randall Garrett
* The cup and foot are of agate, probably specimens of the classic period; the
mounting, which dates from the time of Dna.
The Industrial Arts in Spain|Juan F. Riao
* Ruoy xis snisuoc emac ereh yadretsey, dna dah hcae a eceip fo ekac.
The Letters of Jane Austen|Jane Austen
SEE MORE EXAMPLESSEE FEWER EXAMPLES
BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR DNA
DNA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
noun
deoxyribonucleic acid; a nucleic acid that is the main constituent of the
chromosomes of all organisms (except some viruses). The DNA molecule consists of
two polynucleotide chains in the form of a double helix, containing phosphate
and the sugar deoxyribose and linked by hydrogen bonds between the complementary
bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. DNA is self-replicating,
plays a central role in protein synthesis, and is responsible for the
transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspringSee also
genetic code
abbreviation for
did not attend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition ©
William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998,
2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
SCIENTIFIC DEFINITIONS FOR DNA
DNA
[ dē′ĕn-ā′ ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Short for deoxyribonucleic acid. The nucleic acid that is the genetic material
determining the makeup of all living cells and many viruses. It consists of two
long strands of nucleotides linked together in a structure resembling a ladder
twisted into a spiral. In eukaryotic cells, the DNA is contained in the nucleus
(where it is bound to proteins known as histones) and in mitochondria and
chloroplasts. In the presence of the enzyme DNA polymerase and appropriate
nucleotides, DNA can replicate itself. DNA also serves as a template for the
synthesis of RNA in the presence of RNA polymerase. Compare RNA. See Note at
histone.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
CULTURAL DEFINITIONS FOR DNA
DNA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The molecule that carries genetic information in all living systems (see genetic
code). The DNA molecule is formed in the shape of a double helix from a great
number of smaller molecules (see nucleotides). The workings of the DNA molecule
provide the most fundamental explanation of the laws of genetics.
DNA acts in three important way. First, when a cell divides, the DNA uncoils,
and each strand creates a new partner from the surrounding material — a process
called replication. The two cells that result from the cell division have the
same DNA as the original (see mitosis). Second, in sexual reproduction, each
parent contributes one of the two strands in the DNA of the offspring. Third,
inside the cell, the DNA governs the production of proteins and other molecules
essential to cell function.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
WORD OF THE DAY
auroranoun | [uh-rawr-uh]SEE DEFINITION
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