Participants will find new words in this lessons. Some may be similar to words they already know and some will not be.

Code is a system of symbols, letters, or words used for transmitting messages. The word code comes from French and Latin words meaning "set of laws".

DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a series of chemical units, called nucleic acids, that contains information for specific characteristics of organisms. DNA is the long-term storage unit of information for the organism. It is like a cookbook of instructions to construct parts of the organism.

Genetic code is the chemical code in which DNA is written. It specifies how information in the genome is read to give proteins that determine the organism's characteristics. The code is made of a long chain of chemical units called nucleotides. From which word is genetic derived? (Look in Lesson 1)

Genome is all of the genetic information contained in an organism that determines its characteristics. Physically it is a coiled string of DNA that, stretched out, is over five feet long. It is from the German word, gen, meaning "to produce" and the Greek ome, meaning "body".

Mutation happens when a change occurs in the series of chemical units in DNA. These changes, or mutations, play a role in evolution and contribute to the different plant varieties we saw in Lesson 1. The word is from the Latin, mutationem, meaning "action of changing."

You may notice other words with these same roots. By finding the root in a word, you may be able to figure out what it means, even if you have never seen the word.

Next: Remembering the Last Lesson's Important Points