Possibilities of Code of life (DNA)
Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA in short is the living block of all living beings present in the universe including humans, which hold very important part in evolution and living of all the organic life in the universe.
DNA was first identified in the 1860s by a Swiss chemist called Johann Friedrich Miescher. While he was on his research on the key components of white blood cells. Which are important part of human’s immune system. Johann carried out experiments using salt solutions to understand more about what makes up white blood cells. He noticed that, when he added acid to a solution of the cells, a substance separated from the solution. This substance then dissolved again when an alkali was added. When investigating this substance he realized that it had unexpected properties different to those of the other proteins? he was familiar with. Johann called this mysterious substance ‘nuclein’, because he believed it had come from the cell nucleus?. Unknown to him, Johann had discovered the molecular basis of all life — DNA. Johann was convinced of the importance of nuclein and came very close to uncovering its elusive role, despite the simple tools and methods available to him. However, he lacked the skills to communicate and promote what he had found to the wider scientific community. Ever the perfectionist, he hesitated for long periods of time between experiments before he published his results in 1874. Before then he primarily discussed his findings in private letters to his friends. As a result, it was many decades before Johann Friedrich Miescher’s discovery was fully appreciated by the scientific community.
Which later on also identified by James Watson and Francis Crick in their ground breaking work on the discovery of DNA and most of the world called them as the discoverers of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) in Organic life.
DNA carries all the genetic instruction which is used in growth, development, functioning and reproduction and it also carries the evolutionary information.
James D. Watson and Francis Crick discovered the possible role of DNA in an organic life and its double helix structure.
DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is a long molecule that contains our unique genetic code. Like a recipe book it holds the instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies. Structure of DNA, It is a nucleic acid. DNA has four bases paired with each other i.e. Adenine (A), Thymine (T) and Cytosine (C), Guanine (G). All these four base pairs of DNA are connected because of hydrogen bonding between them. DNA is double stranded helix in shape like a ladder as shown in the figure.
The human genome is made of 3.2 billion bases of DNA but other organisms have different genome sizes.
DNA in 21st Century
A lot of research has been done on the new possibilities of DNA and in the present time of advancement and technology the organic code book of life (DNA) is opening new gates of possibilities for us to do more in saving this humanity. New technologies like DNA storage, DNA repair, DNA fingerprinting and modified DNA etc are creating new advancements in the prosper life of humans.
Researchers have found a way to store large amount of data for long in DNA drives. As DNA is the organic storage unit of life or a code of life which has the millions and millions lines of code about life. And the new technology of storing the data in a DNA is called as DNA storage.
Any damage and mutation in DNA cases diseases like Cancer and other genetic diseases. So there’s a DNA repair which helps in repairing the DNA to cure that disease.
And then you may hear about super humans or advanced humans with modified DNA’s which makes them extraordinary as compared to the normal humans. Researches on modified DNA has concluded that we can change of modified the DNA to cure many genetic diseases and can make vaccines for viruses and more of all these is the advanced humans with modified DNA.
And the DNA fingerprinting in which DNA is used to distinguish between two individuals.
Originally published in techsoach by HAMZA ABDULLLAH
