What is DNA?

DNA is responsible for your eye color, your height, and pretty much everything else about you! But what exactly is it? Watch this video to find out, or read our explanation below!

DNA Is a Genetic Code

Inside every cell in your body, there’s a copy of your DNA - a long string of molecules that makes a literal genetic code. Your cells read that code to figure out what proteins to produce, and the specific proteins your cells make determines everything else about your body, from your hair color, to eye color, to how tall you are. Your specific DNA code is unique (unless you have an identical twin), though much of it is the same as everyone else’s. And it’s not just us humans - every living thing on Earth has DNA.

What is DNA Made Of?

DNA is just a super long, super thin string of molecules. If you stretched out the DNA in one of your cells, it would be as long as a fully-grown human. The actual “code” is made up of 4 special molecules called nucleotides: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine. Your DNA is a long string of 3 billion pairs of these nucleotides. A specific string of these nucleotides, corresponds to each protein your body can make. A string like that is called a gene.

DNA Comes From Your Parents

Your specific DNA is a combination of your parent’s DNA - when a baby is conceived, the parent’s DNA combines to make new DNA, with pieces of both. That’s why children share traits with their biological parents, and how traits get passed down through generations. Scientists call this heredity.