Final answer:
DNA's full name, deoxyribonucleic acid, indicates that it is a nucleic acid containing deoxyribose and that it stores genetic information in a sequence of nucleotides, essential for protein synthesis and organism characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
From its name, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), we can determine that DNA is a type of nucleic acid, which is a macromolecule that stores genetic information. The 'deoxyribo' part of its name indicates the sugar present in DNA, deoxyribose, which differs from the sugar found in RNA (ribonucleic acid). DNA is critical for storing and transmitting genetic instructions, as it contains the unique sequence of nucleotides that code for all the proteins within a living organism. Proteins then determine the structure and function of cells, essentially dictating an organism's characteristics. Through X-ray crystallography, scientists have been able to understand more about DNA's physical structure, such as the spacing of nucleotides and the regular pattern of DNA's helical structure.