What is the difference between DNA and chromosomes for kids?
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the cell’s genetic material, contained in chromosomes within the cell nucleus and mitochondria. Except for certain cells (for example, sperm and egg cells and red blood cells), the cell nucleus contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. A chromosome contains many genes.
How do you explain DNA to kids?
DNA is a short nickname for deoxyribonucleic (say: dee-OK-see-ri-bo-new-klee-ik) acid. DNA is the genetic information inside the cells of the body that helps make people who they are. It’s the instructions for how to make the body, like the code to a video game or blueprints for a house.
What is a chromosome explain to kids?
Your body is made up of billions of cells, which are too small to see without a strong microscope. Inside most of those cells are chromosomes, which are thread-like strands that contain hundreds, or even thousands, of genes. Genes determine physical traits, such as the color of your eyes.

What is DNA and chromosome?
DNA, genes and chromosomes work together to make you who you are. Chromosomes carry DNA in cells. DNA is responsible for building and maintaining your human structure. Genes are segments of your DNA, which give you physical characteristics that make you unique.
Is DNA and chromosomes the same thing?
In the nucleus of each cell, the DNA molecule is packaged into thread-like structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome is made up of DNA tightly coiled many times around proteins called histones that support its structure.

What is DNA simple explanation?
DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule that supplies the genetic instructions that tell living creatures how to develop, live and reproduce. DNA can be found inside every cell and is passed down from parents to their offspring.
What is DNA in simple words?
The molecule inside cells that contains the genetic information responsible for the development and function of an organism. DNA molecules allow this information to be passed from one generation to the next.
What is DNA very short answer?
Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, is a complex molecule that contains all of the information necessary to build and maintain an organism. All living things have DNA within their cells.
What is chromosomes in simple words?
(KROH-muh-some) A structure found inside the nucleus of a cell. A chromosome is made up of proteins and DNA organized into genes. Each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes.
Is DNA and chromosomes the same?
How many DNA is in a chromosome?
One chromosome is made of two chromatids and each chromatid is a DNA molecule. Each DNA molecule is a double helix. So two DNA molecules per chromosome.
Where Is DNA Found?
cell nucleus
Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).
How many DNA does a chromosome have?
A chromosome is formed from a single, enormously long DNA molecule that contains a linear array of many genes. The human genome contains 3.2 × 109DNA nucleotide pairs, divided between 22 different autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes. Only a small percentage of this DNA codes for proteins or structural and catalytic RNAs.
Why is DNA important for kids?
DNA helps cells to make the substances called proteins, which the cells need to live. DNA also allows living things to reproduce. The genes in DNA pass along physical traits from parents to children.
What are the 3 main functions of DNA?
DNA now has three distinct functions—genetics, immunological, and structural—that are widely disparate and variously dependent on the sugar phosphate backbone and the bases.
What are 5 facts about DNA?
Here are 6 weird but true facts about DNA.
- Your DNA could stretch from the earth to the sun and back ~600 times.
- We’re all 99.9 percent alike.
- Genes make up only about 3 percent of your DNA.
- A DNA test can reveal you’re more Irish than your siblings.
- The human genome contains 3 billion base pairs of DNA.
How are DNA and chromosomes related?
Is chromosome and DNA the same?
Why is DNA so important?
DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. To carry out these functions, DNA sequences must be converted into messages that can be used to produce proteins, which are the complex molecules that do most of the work in our bodies.
Who discovered DNA?
The landmark ideas of Watson and Crick relied heavily on the work of other scientists. What did the duo actually discover? Many people believe that American biologist James Watson and English physicist Francis Crick discovered DNA in the 1950s.
How do you teach kids DNA?
5 Fun Ways to Teach Your Students About DNA
- Describe the Subject Matter in a Different and Simpler Way.
- Make Use of Visual Aids.
- Focus on the Double Helix Structure of DNA.
- Ask the Students to Answer Questions About Themselves.
- Have the Students Participate in Games/Contests.
Is DNA made out of chromosomes?
Structure of DNA. Most DNA is found inside the nucleus of a cell, where it forms the chromosomes. Chromosomes have proteins called histones that bind to DNA. DNA has two strands that twist into the shape of a spiral ladder called a helix.
Where is DNA in our body?
Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).
Is DNA in every cell?
All living things have DNA within their cells. In fact, nearly every cell in a multicellular organism possesses the full set of DNA required for that organism. However, DNA does more than specify the structure and function of living things — it also serves as the primary unit of heredity in organisms of all types.
How is DNA formed?
Each molecule of DNA is a double helix formed from two complementary strands of nucleotides held together by hydrogen bonds between G-C and A-T base pairs. Duplication of the genetic information occurs by the use of one DNA strand as a template for formation of a complementary strand.