the genetic code

Gene

a sequence of bases on DNA molecule which codes for a sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain

Codon

a sequence of three bases on DNA or RNA which codes for a single amino acid

Non-overlapping code

a code where each codon codes for only one amino acid with no overlap between codons

Degenerate code

multiple codons code for a single amino acid

Benefits of a degenerate code

Minimises the effects of mutations
A codon may be changed, but new codon still codes for the same amino acid with no effect to organism

Nature of the genetic code

Genetic code is a triplet codon system because at least 20 codes are needed for the amino acids. It is also a degenerate code therefore some amino acids have more than one code. Genetic code is non-overlapping so each base in DNA is used in only one triplet codon system