Introduction to Nucleic Acids

What you’ll learn to do: Discuss nucleic acids and the role they play in DNA and RNA

Humans have two types of nucleic acids in their bodies: DNA and RNA. These molecules contain the set of instructions for our cells: they determine who and what we are. But what makes up our DNA?

A strand of RNA next to DNA. RNA is a single helix composed of cytosine, guanine, adenine, and uracil. DNA is a double helix composed of cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thymine.

Figure 1. Spot the differences between DNA and RNA

In this outcome, we’ll learn about the components of DNA and RNA and get a brief introduction to how they work.

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