There is a huge variety of life on this planet. In this series we will look at how all that variation exists, from the DNA level to the population level. Today we are starting off with a source of variation at the DNA level. What are mutations? A genetic mutation occurs when the DNA base... Continue Reading →
Meiosis – Cell Division Ep 4
Meiosis is a little more complicated than mitosis, and has a different outcome. Meiosis is a method of nuclear division which only happens in the reproductive organs of organisms which reproduce by sexual reproduction. It produces genetically different gametes with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. These gametes (the egg cells and... Continue Reading →
Transcription and Splicing – Genes to Proteins Ep 2
Transcription is the first stage of protein synthesis. It transcribes a DNA base sequence into a messenger RNA (mRNA) base sequence. In eukaryotic cells, DNA is found in the nucleus so that is where transcription occurs. In prokaryotic cells it happens in the cytoplasm because the DNA is not contained in a nucleus. In this... Continue Reading →
The Genetic Code – Genes to Proteins Ep 1
Welcome to this series looking at how the genetic code instructs cells to make proteins. We will be talking about DNA, RNA, and proteins a lot so head over to those articles if you are unsure about the basic structure or function of those molecules. Today, we're going to be taking a look inside the... Continue Reading →
DNA – Biological Molecules Ep 1
DNA is the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid. A long word for an extremely long molecule; there is about two meters of DNA in each human cell. There is so much to say about this fascinating molecule, but here we will focus on the basic structure and function. DNA introduction Firstly, where is DNA found? In... Continue Reading →
