DNA - the code for life!

Click here to see a MOLECULE of DNA !

CLICK the BUTTON to see the atoms more clearly. (Remember you can move the molecule by clicking and dragging it.)

QUESTION: What atoms are found in DNA?

• Hydrogen Atoms are White
• Carbon Atoms are Gray
• Oxygen Atoms are Red
• Nitrogen atoms are Blue
• Phosphate atoms are Orange

DNA is made up of the same atoms as are water, proteins and energy molecules.
They are just put together in different ways.

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The Double Helix

You can see the DNA Double Helix more clearly if we highlight the atoms in the "Backbone" of the DNA.

QUESTION: How many strands of DNA are found in a double helix?

There are four different nucleic acids in DNA: A, G, T & C
They are used by cells as a sort of CODE that tells the cell what to do.

A (the "A" in ATP)
G
T
C

The two strands of DNA in a Double Helix are held together by interactions between:

Adenosine & Thymidine

Guanineine & Cytosine

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