The Environment Site Blog

The Environment Site Blog: "DNA for dummies
Written on 2004-12-18 02:58:52
No insult intended, its just a play on the popular 'for dummies' book series.

First, the answer to the riddle:

The symbols represent the genome of genetically-engineered corn (bt corn). The corn genome is estimated to contain 50,000 genes (represented by the dots). Genetically-engineered corn (bt corn) has 1 extra gene engineered in (represented by the @).

You might be asking yourself: 'So what does it mean and why should I care?'

If you cannot define a gene, you shouldn't be advocating an opinion on genetic engineering. So I'll tell you all you wanted to know about genes and DNA but were to afraid to ask. After our little primer, you can then resume being opinionated. :)

We'll start with DNA. Every cell in every lifeform contains DNA. When a cell reproduces itself, it copies its DNA first and passes it on to the new cell. DNA consists of a long strands that are made of 4 different molecules, represented as A, C, G and T. The order in which these molecules are arranged is the method of information storage. For example, such a sequence could be 'ATG CAC GTT CCC TAG AAC'. The sequence for the human genome is an ordered assortment that is about 3 billion letters (nucleotides) long.

DNA is not directly responsible for making life work. It�s generally just information storage. The information storage is organized into long stretches of DNA called a 'gene'. A typical gene might consist of a DNA sequence of 1000 letters. One gene can be decoded to make one protein. Proteins are the complex molecules that perform all the functions of life. Your hair is protein. Your teeth and bones have protein scaffoldings. Proteins grabbing and moving against each other generate muscle movemen"