Does anyone know what D.N.A. exactly stands for and how and when it first got discovered?

Answer 1

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid —usually in the form of a double helix— that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life, and most viruses. DNA is a long polymer of nucleotides (a polynucleotide) and encodes the sequence of the amino acid residues in proteins using the genetic code, a triplet code of nucleotides.

In complex eukaryotic cells such as those from plants, animals, fungi and protists, most of the DNA is located in the cell nucleus. By contrast, in simpler cells called prokaryotes, including the eubacteria and archaea, DNA is not separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear envelope. The cellular organelles known as chloroplasts and mitochondria also carry DNA.

DNA is often referred to as the molecule of heredity as it is responsible for the genetic propagation of most inherited traits. In humans, these traits can range from hair colour to disease susceptibility. During cell division, DNA is replicated and can be transmitted to offspring during reproduction. Lineage studies can be done based on the facts that the mitochondrial DNA only comes from the mother, and the male Y chromosome only comes from the father.

Every person's DNA, their genome, is inherited from both parents. The mother's mitochondrial DNA together with twenty-three chromosomes from each parent combine to form the genome of a zygote, the fertilized egg. As a result, with certain exceptions such as red blood cells, most human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, together with mitochondrial DNA inherited from the mother.

The discovery that DNA was the carrier of genetic information was a process that required many earlier discoveries. The existence of DNA was discovered in the mid 19th century. However, it was only in the early 20th century that researchers began suggesting that it might store genetic information. This gained almost universal acceptance after the structure of DNA was elucidated by James D. Watson and Francis Crick in their 1953 Nature publication. Watson and Crick proposed the central dogma of molecular biology in 1957, describing the process whereby proteins are produced from nucleic DNA. In 1962 Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize for their determination of the structure of DNA.

Answer 2

God is a concept that is taken on faith without requiring hard evidence. Evolutionary theory is part of science that requires objective evidence to develop a theory. As such it carries quite a bit of evidence in its support. Some people deny the evidence because it conflicts with a certain concept of god and religious interpretation of holy texts. Other people reconcile the two ideas still having faith but accepting that good evidence indicates evolution has occurred. So its not necessarily an either or proposition. I'm not a person of faith and it still works the other direction as well. If evolutionary theory were disproven tomorrow (highly unlikely) it still wouldn't mean to me that the universe and all it were created by a super being.

Answer 3

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It was first discovered sometime in the 1800's (I don't remember the exact date). In the 1950's James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix configuration of DNA.

Answer 4

D.N.A stands for Deoxyribonuclei acid.it was discovered 50 years ago today.

Answer 5

Deoxirhibose Neuclic Acid

Answer 6

Deoxyribonucleic acid. I don't think it was Watson & Crick that discovered DNA. They are the ones that found it to have a double helix structure.I am not certain if that was in the 1950's or 1960's.

Answer 7

DNA - DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID.
Friedrich Meischer (1869), swiss biochemist, first isolated a new class of chemicals from the pus cellls (leucocytes) obtained from discarded surgical bandages, which he called "nuclein". these substances, later were called nucleic acid by Altmann (1899) because of their acidic properties and association with nucleus.
P.A. Lavene (1920) worked out the basic chemistry of nucleic acid, discoverying that there are two types of nucleic acid, deoxyribonucleicacid and RNA ribonucleic acid.

P.S. - please dont get confused with what others say.Watson and Crick were the ones who studied the double helix structure of DNA. they didnot discover it.

Answer 8

Lolita,
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. whoa! what a big word!
The way u pronounce it bit by bit is this - de - oxy - ribo - nucleic.
the nuceic goes like click! so it is "new click".
As for the dicovery, it was discovered by two scientists! I forgot the name! The DNA was first isolated by Khurana who won the nobel prize!

Answer 9

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid.
(Hope you'll get the pronunciation right!)
I'm sorry, I tried looking for the discoverer in my books but couldn't find it.

Answer 10

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA