Download What is DNA?

What is DNA?
So, DNA…..
• Deoxyribonucleic Acid
• Codes for proteins
• Proteins make us who we are
• DNA is like the instruction manual for you.
Where does our DNA come from?
• Half of every strand of your
DNA comes from your mom
and half comes from your
dad.
• It doesn’t matter who you
look like more, you are
50/50 mom and dad!
What if there is a
problem with
your DNA?
Any change to your DNA is called a MUTATION
Mutations can be caused by:
• Environment
• Random copying errors
Mutations can occur:
• During embryonic development (result in change
in offspring)
• During your lifetime (usually result in cancer)
FACTS:
• Everyone has mutations!!
• Most mutations are uneventful and you never
know they are there!
• Some mutations are negative, and have some
negative impact on the organism
• Some mutations are beneficial and help the
organism to be more successful
If the mutation is Beneficial…
• Whether a trait is beneficial is usually based on
the environment
• Organisms do not get to CHOOSE their genes, and
they do not get to CHOOSE their mutations. It is
totally random
• BUT, if your mutation makes you BETTER SUITED
TO YOUR ENVIORNMENT, that species is more
likely to EVOLVE
The main theme to Evolution is:
Better suited individuals are more likely to
survive and reproduce than less suited
individuals are.
Simplified as Charles Darwin’s theory of
Natural Selection, or
SURVIVAL of the FITTEST
Mutations: The Science of Survival
You Tube Video – 48:08
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVmusHZ
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