Genetic Materials and Genetic Code
Watson and Crick showing the three dimensional model of DNA prepared using metal scraps Genetic Materials Genetic material is the substance or material that gets transformed from one generation to the next generation in order to express its characteristic parental characters. The genetic material has following three main properties: It is capable of replicating and being inherited to offspring. It is able to carry out all the information necessary for the function of a cell. It is able to change its sequence by mutation. Nucleic acids are the genetic materials in living organisms. In almost all the organisms, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material. However, in some viruses, RNA (ribonucleic acid) is the genetic material. Concept of Gene and Central Dogma of Molecular Biology Gene is a segment of DNA molecule which encodes a character of an organism. The term gene was coined by a Danish Geneticist, Wilhelm Johannsen in 1909 from the Greek word ‘genesis’ meaning ‘to be...