Lesson Overview

• All living things are organisms.
• The large variety of organisms reflects their genetic diversity.
• The variety results from the different genes in each organism.
• Organisms with many similar traits, and thus with similar genetic information, may be related.
  

• All of an organism's genes are called a genome.
  
• Some genes from every organism are the same, some are different but code symbols are same.
• The genome is written in a code called the genetic code and the code for all organisms is the same.
• Genetic code is written in combinations of four chemical units that together are called DNA.

• Every organism made up of cells that contain sets of genes, called a genome.
• The genome and genes are composed of DNA which contains information for traits.
• DNA is made up of chemical elements, just like sugar, vitamins and water.
• The genome is like a large computer file; its subfiles are called chromosomes.
• During reproduction, the next generation gets half of each pair of chromosomes from the mother and father.
• DNA can be isolated from any organism, like fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs, meat.

• The order of DNA sequences in genes code for specific amino acids.
• Specific sets of amino acids make particular proteins.
• Certain DNA sequences start proteins and others end proteins.
• Some proteins have enzyme functions that speed reactions in the cell.
• Different proteins do different jobs in the organism