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NGSS:
LS1.A: Structure and Function
2 All cells contain genetic information in the form of DNA molecules.
Genes are regions in the DNA
that contain the instructions that
code for the formation of proteins, which carry out most of the work
of cells.
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
1 Each chromosome consists of a single very long DNA molecule, and
each gene on the chromosome
is a particular segment of that DNA.
The instructions for forming species’ characteristics are carried
in DNA. All cells in an organism have
the same genetic content, but the genes used (expressed) by
the cell may be regulated in
different ways. Not all DNA codes for a protein; some segments of DNA
are involved in regulatory or
structural functions, and some have no as-yet known function.
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
1 In sexual reproduction, chromosomes can sometimes swap sections
during the process of meiosis
(cell division), thereby creating new
genetic combinations and thus more genetic variation. Although
DNA replication is tightly regulated
and remarkably accurate, errors do occur and result in mutations,
which are also a source of genetic
variation. Environmental factors can also cause mutations in
genes, and viable mutations are
inherited.
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