C.S.I. : DNA
775 views since 2007-01-24
DNA is also one of the most familiar molecules, the central icon of molecular biology, easily recognized by everyone. To some, it may carry a negative connotation, being a pervasive symbol for activists against genetically engineered produce. To others, it may bring to mind advances in forensics such as the DNA fingerprinting used in many recent high-profile trials. Some may have seen it in science fiction, modified to build dinosaurs or store cryptic messages from aliens. To all it is a pervasive symbol of our growing understanding of the human body and our close kinship with the rest of the biosphere, and the moral and ethical issues that must be addressed in the face of that knowledge. DNA is perfect for the storage and readout of information. It is laden with information. Every surface and edge of the molecule carries information. The basic mechanism by which DNA stores and transmits genetic information was discovered in the 1950's by Watson and Crick. This basic information is stored in the way that the bases match one another on opposite sides of the double helix--adenine with thymine, guanine with cytosine--forming a set of complementary hydrogen bonds
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