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Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
is a very important molecule
found in all living cells.
It contains information used
in everyday metabolism and
growth and influences most
of our characteristics.
DNA is often described as
the blueprint of an
organism. It enables various
cells to develop and work
together to form a fully
functional body, and
controls characteristics
such as eye colour. How much
DNA influences very complex
features, such as
intelligence, is not yet
fully understood.
The information that DNA
contains is passed from one
generation to the next.
There is much debate over
how much of what we are like
is due to inheritance and
defined by our DNA, and how
much is defined by the
influence of the
environment. This is
sometimes referred to as the
'nature/nurture' debate.
Using gene technology,
DNA can be modified or
transferred from one
organism to another. Genes
are made up of short lengths
of DNA and modern gene
technology is able to make
changes at the level of
individual genes. |
