Science - Biology - Inheritance, Variation and Evolution - B6 Flashcards
what does DNA stand for ?
deoxyribonucleic acid
what is DNA ?
the chemical that all of the genetic material in a cell is made up from
what does DNA do ?
have all of the information to put an organism together and make it work
what does DNA determine ?
what inherited characteristics you have
where is DNA found ?
in the nucleus
what really long structures are DNA found in ?
chromosomes
what does DNA form in a chromosome ?
the arms of a chromosome
what number do chromosomes come in ?
pairs
DNA is a polymer - what does this mean ?
it is made up of a large molecule built from a chain of smaller molecules
what shape do the 2 strands of DNA form ?
double helix
what is a gene ?
a small section of DNA found on a chromosome
what does a gene do ?
tell cells what order to put the amino acids together
what do amino acids form ?
proteins
how many types amino acids are used in DNA ?
20
does DNA determine what proteins the cell produces, and therefore determines what cell is produced ?
yes
what is a genome ?
the entire set of genetic material in an organism
what does understanding the human genome tell scientists ?
- it helps them identify genes in the genome which are linked to different types of disease
- knowing which genes are linked to inherited diseases helps us understand them better and could help us develop treatment
- genomes can trace the migration of certain populations around the world - scientists can work out when and where populations went
how did the human genome change ?
it is mostly identical in all humans
but as different populations migrated away from Africa they developed tiny differences in their genomes
what are nucleotides ?
strands of polymers made up of lots of repeating units which help form DNA
what does a nucleotide consist of ?
- a sugar
- a phosphate group
- one of 4 different bases
how many types of nucleotides are there ?
4
what are the 4 different bases ?
A
T
C
G
what do the 4 different bases join to ?
a sugar
what forms the backbone to the DNA strands ?
the sugars and phosphate groups in the nucleotides