Final answer:
DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material shaped like a double helix and contains the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all known organisms. It is organized into 46 chromosomes in humans. DNA's structure allows it to encode the information needed to build and maintain an organism, making it essential for inheritance, coding for proteins, and the genetic instructions for life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA. It is described as a double helix, which looks like a molecular spiral staircase, and in humans, it is organized into 46 chromosomes. This genetic material is responsible for storing and passing genetic information from one generation to the next.
Think of DNA as the blueprint for an organism, containing instructions for building and maintaining an organism's cells. It dictates everything from your eye color to the type of enzymes your body produces. Half of your DNA comes from your mother and half from your father, making your DNA unique except in the case of identical twins.
The central dogma of molecular biology explains that DNA is organized into genes, which specify the sequences of messenger RNA (mRNA). These mRNA sequences then determine the amino acid sequence of proteins, which make up your cells and perform numerous functions in your body.