1. DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid

2. What is DNA? Humans have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs)
Each chromosome is made up of a tightly coiled strand of DNA

3. Genes Each strand of DNA has multiple sections, or genes.
Each gene has the instructions to make a specific protein.
There are hundreds of proteins that each have a specific function necessary for life.

4. Structure of DNA The structure of DNA is a double helix
Each strand has a specific pattern of four nucleotide bases
The four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T)
The bases pair up on the opposite strand (A with T and G with C)

5. The DNA Code
It is the order of the bases that provides the information needed to make proteins
Every 3 bases on a DNA strand is a codon.
Each codon codes for an amino acid
Each protein is made up of a specific
combination of amino acids

6. Mutations
A mistake can occur when the section of DNA is copied to make a protein
Any change in the order of the bases on a strand of DNA is called a mutation
These changes in the code can (sometimes) cause a change to the amino acid being coded for. This can cause the protein to form incorrectly or possibly not at all.

7. Effects of mutations
Neutral - No visible effect –or- does not impact organisms survival
Harmful – results cause protein to be faulty/not function properly (can be lethal or cause serious problems)
Beneficial – sometimes the change causes a variation that benefits the organism (Ex/ developing resistance to a disease)

8. Homework Use the following terms in a paragraph:
DNA, gene, bases, amino acid, protein
Model a section of DNA, then make a second model showing a mutation to the code.