DNA
The molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all known organisms.
[C/U] Both
This term carries a heavy scientific weight but has migrated into common parlance to describe the most fundamental, unchanging essence of a person or organization. When used in a business or branding context, it refers to the core values and identity that cannot be easily altered without changing the entity itself.
In a forensic or medical context, it implies a unique, immutable biological signature. It evokes an image of a complex, twisting ladder that holds the blueprint of life, suggesting a level of precision and destiny that transcends simple physical appearance.
Uncountable when referring to the chemical substance in general; countable when referring to a specific sequence or a unique genetic profile.
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genomegenechromosomenucleotidebase pairhelixgeneticsallelemutationproteinRNAadenineguaninecytosinethymineuracilcodonexonintronhistonecentromeretelomerereplicationtranscriptiontranslationpolymeraseligasehelicaseprimasesequencingelectrophoresisPCRcloningplasmidvectorbiotechnologybioinformaticsheredityinheritancephenotypegenotypedominantrecessivehomozygousheterozygoushybridcrossbreedpedigreeancestrylineageevolutionspeciesorganismcellnucleusmitochondriachloroplastcytoplasmenzymeamino acidpeptideribosomemutation rateepigeneticsmethylationforensicsprofilingfingerprintingbiopsysampleextraction