Deoxyribonucleic acid stands for Introduction DNA. DNA is life’s genetic material composed of monomers considered to be nucleotides. Nucleotides are monomers composed of a cluster of phosphates, sugar and a nitrogen base. (Freeman, 2014) DNA’s nitrogen bases are the way in which knowledge can be preserved. DNA strands contain four different kinds of nitrogen bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T). These DNA nitrogen bases are special, and each pairs only with one.
Just Thymine (T) and Guanine (G) pairs of adenine (A), just C pairs of cytosine (C). The sequence of the nitrogen base pairs stores the data in the DNA. A double helix is the secondary structure of DNA. The DNA is inserted in its double helix shape as hydrogen bonds shape between the two antiparallel DNA strands. The dual-helix type makes the DNA easy to divide and duplicate by adding nitrogen base pairs to the split strands. The same copy of the original DNA molecule is made. Each new DNA molecule has a strand and a newly formed strand of the original DNA.
Charles Darwin, a famous naturalist and geologist, who developed the theory of evolution and natural selection. Darwin concluded his work with observations of birds, but didn’t have strong evidence to prove his theory. As of a couple years ago, a group of scientist from the University of Utah did an experiment on DNA from pigeons. … Read more
It is 2080. Imagine that a young couple just found out that they are going to be expecting a baby; their first child together. The news is very thrilling, as the thought of creating a new life can send chills down anyone’s spine. Now, it’s four months later, and the couple is sitting in the … Read more
Bacterial transformation is the process of bacteria taking in and expressing exogenous DNA. This has led to many other discoveries. In order for bacterial transformation to occur the bacteria must be in a certain physical state to be able to take in DNA. This is called competency and it allows the cell membrane to be … Read more
According to the website www. tutorvista. com, Prokaryotes differ from eukaryotes in their structure, packing, density, and arrangement of their genes on the chromosome. Differences in cellular structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes include the presence of mitochondria and chloroplasts, the cell wall, and the structure of chromosomal DNA. All cells share some common characteristics that … Read more
The perfect baby might not have the stereotypical physical traits of blond hair and blue eyes; they have the perfect genes of a healthy person. Designer babies is an euphemism for genetic engineering. As a baby’s genes are genetically altered, the DNA itself in most cases is not altered, but rather parents are merely selecting … Read more
The miracle of life is a never-ending interest of study and very difficult to grasp. The complexity of how our DNA is inherited, duplicated, mutated, and expressed varies in uncountable ways. Leon and Diane Rosenberg (2012) state that gene expression can be modified by changes in DNA structure or chemical modification of DNA, which in … Read more
Prader-Willi syndrome or PWS, is not a disease many people have knowledge about, or have even heard about it. Only about 1 in 25,000 children are born with this rare syndrome. In 1956, Prader-Willi was first described by Andrea Prader, Heinrich Willi, and Alexis Labhart. Prader and Willi, both Swiss pediatricians, and Labhart, an internist, … Read more
This is one of the most interesting genetic diseases in the world, and yet there is no cure for it. This disease can affect people drastically, or sometimes very little at all. Although there is no way to treat it, it can be helped, and there are many programs to help. This complex genetic disease … Read more
Before the famous Dolly the Sheep, cloning was not quite what it is considered today. The first example that could be considered “cloning” took place in 1885. Hans Adolf Edward Dreisch discovered that if he shook the two-celled embryos of sea urchins, the cells could separate and grow into two identical sea urchins. A couple … Read more
Sharon Bernardi has had seven children. All but one died just a few hours after birth, while the survivor lived with extreme defects until his passing at age 21. At first the doctors could not figure out what was causing the seemingly healthy babies to suddenly pass away, but after her fourth baby, they found … Read more
Do you believe in alternate world? What if you discover that there is another ‘you’ living in another universe? Have you ever thought what’s after our universe? There are Scientists, Cosmogonist, Astrophysicist and other people involved in science that believe that there could be another universe. That someone like you and I have a, what … Read more
The fantasy of modifying human characteristics is not a fantasy anymore. In genetic modification or genetic engineering, scientists directly manipulate genes to change the genetic makeup of cells. From choosing the color of your baby’s eyes, to eliminating pre-existing conditions, genetic modification is a sure way of having a promising life. But with that being … Read more
Another act that exists is the DARK Act, which stands for ‘Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK act. org). This act is an anti-GMO bill that was passed to the House of Representatives back in 2015 and preempts state and local authority to label and regulate genetically engineered foods (Ecowatch. com). Basically, what this … Read more
Gene editing and synthetic biology are two techniques that go hand in hand but differ ever so slightly. It is this slight divergence that makes a world of a difference. Gene editing is defined as the process of editing an organism’s DNA by altering, removing or adding nucleotides to the genome. Whereas synthetic biology is … Read more
Genetically modified organisms (GMOS), an organism who’s DNA has been altered in such a way that it would be more beneficial, has garnered great debate as to whether or not it is harmful or if it will be the crop of the future. Many scientists believe that GMOS have the possibility to end world hunger … Read more
Modeling bacterial growth is important in maximizing the efficiencies of biological processes. Although there are many different methods of modeling bacterial growth, this experiment focuses on the Monod equations. However, in order to use the Monod equations, the maximum growth rate and Monod constant must be found. Here we show how the maximum growth rate … Read more
James Bain and Jonathan Barr were convicted for crime they have never committed. Like many others, false allegations cause innocent individuals to be arrested for crimes they have not committed. Results from DNA testing have been used as great evidence to help people reach their freedom from being behind bars. To prevent the conviction of … Read more
Since the beginning of time, the human race has attempted to perfect our lives, constantly adapting, and learning, and changing our environment to suit our needs. we have been changing the world dramatically in a large variety of environments from the atmosphere to the rainforests, and soil in which the trees grow. Up to this … Read more
Controversial themes have long been a component of memorable film. These particular films touch on topics audiences might have typically found taboo or litigious, often dealing with ethical and social affairs. A prime example of this is the 1997 sci-fi film Gattaca. In a nutshell, Gattaca is a tale about a genetically caste era featuring … Read more
People strive for progression in order to move forward with the changing times. As scientific technology progresses, people begin to move towards the bright idea of perfection. This could be seen in the concept of designer babies. A designer baby is a baby that has its genes specifically chosen in order to ensure that a … Read more
Only a small fraction of our total DNA makes us different from gorillas, chimpanzees and other primates. An even smaller fraction makes one person different from the next. It’s these differences that forensic DNA experts use to identify people and determine the source of biological evidence such as blood or semen found at a crime … Read more
As we begin the twenty first century, many new technological advancements make themselves readily available to us. One such technological advancement is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the altering of human genes in order to perfect these genes, or change them completely. This new technology is very controversial, because it deals with things such as … Read more
DNA – Deoxyribonucleic Acid – the material that codes for amino acids which form proteins, which in turn carry out functions of the cell. DNA is responsible for building life. Our physical characteristics, susceptibility to some diseases and disorders (e. g. breast cancer, sickle cell anemia), and a few behavior characteristics are passed from generation … Read more
The history of DNA structure discovery(sec. 4. 1): 1869- Johan miescher ???studies the nuclei of white blood cells(isolated th material using HCL and digestive proteins ???Named the substance nulclein and also found the material was rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. 919-Pheobus levene ???Discovered that DNA was made of chains of nucleotides *see nucleotide structure* 1920 … Read more