DNA is fundamental to the biology of all life on Earth, but how many of us actually know what it is or what it's made of?

NASA scientists found amino acids, key minerals, and nucleobases for DNA in samples from the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission.

The sugar-phosphate backbone forms the structural framework of nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. This backbone is composed of alternating sugar and phosphate groups, and defines directionality ...

The sides of the DNA ladder consist of a long string of sugar and phosphate molecules, to which the bases are attached. Each sugar-phosphate-base combination is called a nucleotide. A nucleotide ...

The double-stranded DNA that results from this pattern of bonding looks much like a ladder with sugar-phosphate side supports and base-pair rungs. Note that because the two polynucleotides that ...

"The backbone of DNA contains phosphate. So, all life on Earth, including humans, depends on phosphorus to thrive. That's why we need fertilizers to increase phosphorus in soils. Otherwise ...

Combinations of these atoms form the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA -- the sides of the ladder, in other words. Other combinations of the atoms form the four bases: thymine (T), adenine (A ...

The basic units (monomers) of DNA are nucleotides. These nucleotides consist of a deoxyribose sugar, phosphate and base. The nucleotides are identical except for the base, which can be an adenine ...

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material found in nearly all living organisms. It carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all ...