All living things have Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA). DNA is in every cell of all plants and animals and is the cells control centre. DNA stores a set of instructions controlling the processes occurring inside the cell. The full set of instructions of an organism is called the Gemone.
DNA is the material that carries all the information about how a living thing will look and function. Your DNA determines the colour of your eyes and how your lungs work. Each piece of information is carried on a different section of the DNA. These sections are called genes.
DNA is in the cells of every living thing and is found in structures cell called chromosomes. Scientists need to use very powerful microscopes to see the DNA and chromosomes because they are so small.
When the DNA is working properly, it helps keep the body functioning properly. DNA helps cells to make proteins, which the cells need to live. DNA also allows living things to reproduce. The genes in DNA pass along physical traits from parents to children.
Mistakes in DNA are called mutations, they can cause diseases and other problems. However sometimes the mutation has a positive affect and this is called an adaptation.
