Final answer:
DNA and RNA differ in the type of sugar they contain, the nitrogenous bases they utilize, and the number of strands each has. They are made up of nucleotides, which consist of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main structural differences between DNA and RNA revolve around their sugar-phosphate backbone, their nitrogenous bases, and the number of strands they possess. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, has a sugar called deoxyribose and its nitrogenous bases include adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. It typically exists as a double-stranded molecule. RNA, or Ribonucleic Acid, contains a sugar called ribose and possesses the nitrogenous bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil, with uracil replacing thymine. RNA molecules are typically single-stranded.
The nucleotide, the monomer in nucleic acids, consists of three parts: a sugar molecule (either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine in DNA, or uracil in RNA).
Learn more about DNA and RNA