Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Fact Sheet (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. genome.gov. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
Fact sheetGovernment source
Knowledge graph
143 concepts and 227 links across 15 fields. Open any concept to see what it is made of, what it takes part in and which fields study it.
Start with a level of life
All concepts, A to Z
A
- Action potentialProcess
- Adaptive immunityProcess
- AlleleIdea or model
- Amino acidsMolecule
- AntibioticsTechnology or method
- AntibodyMolecule
- Antimicrobial resistanceProcess
- ArchaeaOrganism or group
- ATPMolecule
B
- BacteriaOrganism or group
- Bacterial growthProcess
- Base pairingProcess
- BiodiversityIdea or model
- BioethicsEthics and safety
- BioinformaticsTechnology or method
- Biological databasesTechnology or method
- BioluminescenceProcess
- BiosafetyEthics and safety
- BiosphereLevel of life
- BLASTTechnology or method
- BrainStructure
C
- C4 photosynthesisProcess
- Cancer immunotherapyTechnology or method
- Carbon cycleProcess
- CellLevel of life
- Cell membraneStructure
- Cell wallStructure
- Cells of the human bodyIdea or model
- Cellular respirationProcess
- Central dogmaIdea or model
- Central vacuoleStructure
- ChemosynthesisProcess
- ChloroplastsStructure
- ChromosomeStructure
- Climate change and living thingsIdea or model
- CloningTechnology or method
- Common ancestryIdea or model
- CommunityLevel of life
- Coral bleachingProcess
- CRISPRTechnology or method
- Cystic fibrosisHealth condition
- CytoskeletonStructure
D
- Dendritic cellsStructure
- DigestionProcess
- DNALevel of life
- DNA replicationProcess
- DNA sequencingTechnology or method
- Dominant and recessiveIdea or model
E
- EcosystemLevel of life
- Endoplasmic reticulumStructure
- EndosymbiosisIdea or model
- Energy flowProcess
- EnzymeMolecule
- Enzyme kineticsIdea or model
- EvolutionProcess
- Experimental evolutionProcess
F
- Food chains and websIdea or model
- Functional responseIdea or model
G
- GeneLevel of life
- Gene circuitsTechnology or method
- Gene editingTechnology or method
- Gene expressionProcess
- Gene therapyTechnology or method
- Genetic codeIdea or model
- Genetic driftProcess
- Genome editing governanceEthics and safety
- GenotypeIdea or model
- Golgi apparatusStructure
H
- Hardy-Weinberg equilibriumIdea or model
- Heart and circulationStructure
- HemoglobinMolecule
- HomeostasisProcess
- Human adaptationProcess
- Human genetic variationIdea or model
- Human genomeIdea or model
- Hydrothermal ventsStructure
I
- Immune systemStructure
- Innate immunityProcess
- Ion channelMolecule
K
- Keystone speciesIdea or model
- KidneysStructure
L
- Lungs and breathingStructure
- LysosomesStructure
M
- Mendelian inheritanceIdea or model
- Messenger RNAMolecule
- Metabolic engineeringTechnology or method
- MicrobiomeIdea or model
- Minimal cellIdea or model
- MitochondriaStructure
- Monoclonal antibodiesTechnology or method
- mRNA vaccinesTechnology or method
- MutationProcess
- MycorrhizaeProcess
- MyelinStructure
N
- Natural selectionProcess
- NeuronStructure
- Nitrogen fixationProcess
- NucleusStructure
O
- Ocean zonesIdea or model
- OrganLevel of life
- Organ systemsStructure
- OrganismLevel of life
P
- Paradox of enrichmentIdea or model
- PCRTechnology or method
- Phage therapyTechnology or method
- PhenotypeIdea or model
- PhotosynthesisProcess
- PhytoplanktonOrganism or group
- Plant hormonesMolecule
- PollinationProcess
- PopulationLevel of life
- Population dynamicsIdea or model
- Primary productionProcess
- ProchlorococcusOrganism or group
- ProteinLevel of life
- Protein foldingProcess
- Protein structureIdea or model
- Protein structure predictionTechnology or method
- Punnett squareIdea or model
R
- Recombinant DNATechnology or method
- RibosomesStructure
- RNALevel of life
- RNA interferenceProcess
- RubiscoMolecule
S
- Sequence alignmentTechnology or method
- Sickle cell diseaseHealth condition
- Stem cellsStructure
- StomataStructure
- Substitution matricesIdea or model
- Synaptic plasticityProcess
- Synthetic biologyTechnology or method
T
- T cellsStructure
- ThermophilesOrganism or group
- Three domains of lifeIdea or model
- TissueLevel of life
- TranscriptionProcess
- Transitional fossilsIdea or model
- TranslationProcess
- Transposable elementsMolecule
- Trophic cascadeProcess
V
- VaccinationTechnology or method
- VirusOrganism or group
X
- Xylem and phloemStructure
Sources & further reading
Each concept page lists the sources behind its summary. These are the sources for the twelve levels of life. How we choose and check sources.
What is DNA? (opens the original in a new tab)
MedlinePlus Genetics. MedlinePlus Genetics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalMolecular structure of nucleic acids; a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid (opens the original in a new tab)
Watson JD, Crick FH (1953). Nature 171(4356):737-738.
Proposed the double-helix model of DNA.
Historical paperPrimary researchWhat is a gene? (opens the original in a new tab)
MedlinePlus Genetics. MedlinePlus Genetics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalMessenger RNA (mRNA) (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalHow do genes direct the production of proteins? (opens the original in a new tab)
MedlinePlus Genetics. MedlinePlus Genetics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalPotent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans (opens the original in a new tab)
Fire A, Xu S, Montgomery MK, et al. (1998). Nature 391:806-811.
Discovery of RNA interference.
Peer-reviewedPrimary researchProtein (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalAmino Acids (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalPrinciples that govern the folding of protein chains (opens the original in a new tab)
Anfinsen CB (1973). Science 181:223-230.
Nobel lecture: a protein's sequence determines its folded structure.
Historical paperPrimary researchWhat is a cell? (opens the original in a new tab)
MedlinePlus Genetics. MedlinePlus Genetics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalCell (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalAnatomy and Physiology 2e (opens the original in a new tab)
OpenStax (2022). OpenStax, Rice University.
TextbookEducationalLicence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (linked, not reused)
Biology 2e (opens the original in a new tab)
OpenStax (2018). OpenStax, Rice University.
Free introductory college textbook.
TextbookEducationalLicence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (linked, not reused)
Primary production of the biosphere: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components (opens the original in a new tab)
Field CB, Behrenfeld MJ, Randerson JT, et al. (1998). Science 281:237-240.
Global net primary production of about 105 petagrams of carbon per year, split roughly evenly between land and ocean.
Peer-reviewedPrimary research