DNA structure

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid; A nucleic acid found in the nucleus of all living cells, which carries the organism's hereditary information.

Chromosomes

rod-shaped cellular structure made of condensed chromatin; contains DNA, which carries the genetic information that controls inherited characteristics such as eye color and blood type.

Nucleotide

in a nucleic-acid chain, a subunit that consists of a sugar, a phosphate, and a base

Double Helix

Shape of a DNA molecule formed when two twisted DNA strands are coiled into a springlike structure and held together by hydrogen bonds between the bases

Adenine

nitrogenous base "A"; connects to thymine in DNA and connects to uracil in RNA

Thymine

nitrogenous base "T"; connects to adenine in DNA

Sugar

The molecule that is bonded between the phosphate and the base in the DNA double helix

Phosphate

The part of the nucleotide subunit that forms the sides or "rails" of the DNA double helix ladder

Cytosine

nitrogenous base "C" connects with guanine

Guanine

nitrogenous base "G"; connects to cytosine

Base

Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine are known as these in DNA

Francis Crick and James Watson

Described the structure of DNA and how it carries genetic information in 1953. Built a three-dimensional model of the molecules of DNA

Rosalind Franklin

Woman who generated x-ray images of DNA, she provided Watson and Crick with key data about DNA

Erwin Chargaff

Analyzed the base content of DNA and found that the amount of adenine equaled the amount of thymine and the amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine.