What Is DNA?
A guided look at the molecule that stores biological instructions.
Starts the DNA and Genes series
The molecule of inheritance, gene structure, and how genetic information is organized.
Use this hub as a guided doorway into the topic: start with the first lesson, build the vocabulary, then branch into related explainers.
Lightweight learning path
Move from DNA as stored information into base pairing, gene architecture, faithful copying, and chromosome packaging.
Hub lessons
These articles are the current entry points for this topic. Start with the first path module, then branch outward.
A guided look at the molecule that stores biological instructions.
Starts the DNA and Genes series
How nucleotides, strand direction, and complementary bases make DNA a reliable information molecule.
Part 2 of 5 in DNA and Genes · Builds on: What Is DNA?
A beginner-friendly map of the DNA regions that help a gene be read, processed, and regulated.
Part 3 of 5 in DNA and Genes · Builds on: DNA Structure and Base Pairing
How replication, proofreading, damage responses, and repair help preserve genetic information.
Part 4 of 5 in DNA and Genes · Builds on: Inside a Gene: Promoters, Exons, Introns, and Regulatory DNA
How cells fit long DNA molecules into the nucleus while keeping selected regions usable.
Part 5 of 5 in DNA and Genes · Builds on: Copying and Protecting DNA
Glossary support
These definitions help keep the vocabulary attached to the ideas instead of floating on their own.
Centromere
GeneticsThe constricted region of a chromosome where sister chromatids are most tightly joined.
Allele
GeneticsOne of two or more versions of a gene at the same location on a chromosome.
Base pair
DNATwo nucleotides on opposite DNA strands held together by hydrogen bonds (A-T, G-C).
Chromosome
GeneticsA long, organized package of DNA and protein found in the cell nucleus.
DNA
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid: the double-stranded molecule that stores genetic information.
Double helix
DNAThe twisted ladder-like shape formed by the two strands of a DNA molecule.
Related visuals
Some concepts click faster when they are paired with a process view instead of only text.