DNA. What is it made of? How does it makes us what we are? How and why do we share the same DNA with animals, plants, fruits, etc. ?

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DNA. What is it made of? How does it makes us what we are? How and why do we share the same DNA with animals, plants, fruits, etc. ?

In: Biology

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Well for the second half of the question, I like to give analogies. A relatively simple explanation is to think of legos! With the same basic blocks, you can build pretty much any structure. The reason is because the blocks can combine in many ways in 3-dimensional space.

The same is true for DNA: despite being only 4 basic blocks (CGAT), they combine to create a set of amino acids. And those amino acids combine to create proteins. And those proteins are folded in different 3-dimensional structures that can perform different roles. It becomes very complicated as it keeps going until you get a full human versus a full seagull.

The reason for the complexity of these molecules is like chemistry/physics: even though hydrogen and aluminum are made of the same basic blocks (protons, neutrons, electrons), they behave very differently because of their structure and the physical laws that govern the universe.

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