Asked by: Priya Paffen
science genetics

How was the structure of DNA discovered?

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The Discovery of DNA's Structure. Created by Rosalind Franklin using a technique called X-ray crystallography, it revealed the helical shape of the DNA molecule. Watson and Crick realized that DNA was made up of two chains of nucleotide pairs that encode the genetic information for all living things.


Just so, what is the structure of DNA and who discovered it?

Watson and Crick discover chemical structure of DNA. On this day in 1953, Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes.

Similarly, how is the structure of DNA related to its function? DNA winds into a double helix, with hydrogen bonding between the bases of each strand like the rungs of a ladder. This structure enables DNA to coil so that the long molecule is compact and lots of information can be stored in a small space.

In this way, how did Watson and Crick describe the structure of DNA?

Watson and Crick showed that each strand of the DNA molecule was a template for the other. During cell division the two strands separate and on each strand a new "other half" is built, just like the one before. By 1962, when Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for physiology/medicine, Franklin had died.

What is DNA made up of?

DNA structure DNA is made up of molecules called nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains a phosphate group, a sugar group and a nitrogen base. The four types of nitrogen bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). The order of these bases is what determines DNA's instructions, or genetic code.

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What is DNA for kids?

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Why is DNA so important?

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Which came first DNA or protein?

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When was DNA structure discovered?

The Discovery of DNA's Structure. Taken in 1952, this image is the first X-ray picture of DNA, which led to the discovery of its molecular structure by Watson and Crick. Created by Rosalind Franklin using a technique called X-ray crystallography, it revealed the helical shape of the DNA molecule.

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What makes up a nucleotide?

A nucleotide consists of three things: A nitrogenous base, which can be either adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine (in the case of RNA, thymine is replaced by uracil). A five-carbon sugar, called deoxyribose because it is lacking an oxygen group on one of its carbons. One or more phosphate groups.

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Why DNA is helical in structure?

The double-helix shape allows for DNA replication and protein synthesis to occur. In these processes, the twisted DNA unwinds and opens to allow a copy of the DNA to be made. As the new strands form, bases are paired together until two double-helix DNA molecules are formed from a single double-helix DNA molecule.

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What is the backbone of DNA?

DNA is made up of the sugar-phosphate backbone. It consists of 5-carbon deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups. These sugars are linked together by a phosphodiester bond, between carbon 4 of their chain, and a CH2 group that is attached to a phosphate ion.

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What is the shape of DNA called?

double helix. The double helix is a description of the molecular shape of a double-stranded DNA molecule. In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson first described the molecular structure of DNA, which they called a "double helix," in the journal Nature.

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Why DNA is double stranded?

DNA is double-stranded because it helps it better perform its job. To elaborate, DNA is the basic hereditary information of a cell. The two strands of DNA are held together via hydrogen bonds, which allow the sequence to be “unzipped” for replication or transcription.

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What is full form of RNA?

RNA: Ribonucleic Acid
RNA stands for Ribonucleic Acid. It is one of the major biological macromolecules that is essential for all known forms of life. It performs various important biological roles related to protein synthesis such as transcription, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.

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Why is DNA called the blueprint of life?

DNA is called the blueprint of life because it contains the instructions needed for an organism to grow, develop, survive and reproduce. DNA does this by controlling protein synthesis. Proteins do most of the work in cells, and are the basic unit of structure and function in the cells of organisms.

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What are the characteristics of the Watson and Crick DNA structure?

The important features of Watson-Crick model or double helix model of DNA are as follows: 1. The DNA molecule consists of two polynucleotide chains or strands that spirally twisted around each other and coiled around a common axis to form a right-handed double-helix. 2.

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What three parts make up a single nucleotide?

There are just 3 components of nucleotide: nitrogenous base, deoxyribose(sugar) and phosphate group. In DNA, complementary nitrogen bases on opposite strands are connected with hydrogen bond. This is how two DNA strands are held together.

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What is DNA What is its function?

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Is DNA a polymer?

DNA is a polymer. The monomer units of DNA are nucleotides, and the polymer is known as a "polynucleotide." Each nucleotide consists of a 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose), a nitrogen containing base attached to the sugar, and a phosphate group.

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Is DNA a nucleic acid?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are made up of nucleic acids found in the nuclei of living cells. They are the vehicles of genetic inheritance. Nucleic acids are condensation polymers of nucleotides.

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