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In the Cell

Cells are the building blocks of every living thing, they are where DNA is stored and used. Discover more about the mechanics of how DNA works inside a cell, and find activities to explore genetic principles.

What is mitosis?

Mitosis is a process where a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells (cell division).

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What is meiosis?

Meiosis is a process where a single cell divides twice to produce four cells containing half the original amount of genetic information. 

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Mitosis versus meiosis

Cells divide and reproduce in two ways, mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis results in two identical daughter cells, whereas meiosis results in four sex cells. Below we highlight the key differences and similarities between the two types of cell division.

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What is a cell?

All living things are made of cells. They are the basic building blocks of life. The human body is composed of trillions of cells, all with their own specialised function.

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What is DNA?

DNA is the long molecule that contains your unique genetic code. A bit like a recipe book, it holds the instructions your cells need to make all the proteins in your body.

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What is a gene?

Genes are small sections of DNA that code for a functional product, like a protein.

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What is a chromosome?

Chromosomes are tightly coiled bundles of DNA found in the nucleus of almost every cell in our body.

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What is a genome?

A genome is an organism’s complete set of genetic instructions. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop.

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What is RNA?

RNA is a nucleic acid similar to DNA, but with only a single, helical strand of bases. It plays a key role in turning DNA instructions into functional proteins.

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How is DNA turned into protein? The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

The ‘Central Dogma of Molecular Biology’ is a model describing the way information stored in our DNA is converted into a functional product, such as a protein. It was first proposed in 1958 by Francis Crick, who co-discovered the structure of DNA.

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What is a mutation?

A mutation is a change that occurs in our DNA sequence. This can be caused by normal processes inside the cell or by environmental factors, such as UV light.

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What is inheritance?

Inheritance is the way that genetic information is passed from a parent to a child.

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DNA replication

This 3D animation shows you how DNA is copied in a cell. It shows how both strands of the DNA helix are unzipped and copied to produce two identical DNA molecules.

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Different types of mutations

Throughout life, our DNA can accumulate changes to its sequence, known as mutations. There are lots of different mutations that can occur in DNA.

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Extracting DNA from fruit

This hands-on activity allows you to extract the DNA from fruit using household items.

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From DNA to protein

This 3D animation shows how proteins are made in the cell from the information in the DNA code.

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Genomics Lite: Exploring genome function

Our guest speaker for this session was Gareth Girling, a technical specialist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, exploring what we know so far about the human genome.

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Genomics Lite: Genomic cartography - Generating a human cell atlas

Our guest speakers for our March Genomics Lite were Dr. Elena Winheim and Feri Torabi, Postdoctoral Researcher and a Advanced Research Assistant respectively, at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, exploring how they are working towards generating a map of all the cells in the human body.

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Genomics Lite: What is a gene?

Our guest speaker for this Genomics Lite is Zachary Ardern a Research Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, exploring what we still don't know about genes.

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Investigate!

What makes us similar and what makes us different? Carry out your own genetic variation investigation using a selection of household items.

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Origami DNA

This hands-on activity allows you to create your own paper model of a DNA double helix.

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Sequencing Bracelets

In this activity, learners make a bracelet of DNA sequence from organisms including a human, chimpanzee, butterfly, carnivorous plant or flesh-eating bacteria.

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What are dominant and recessive alleles?

Different versions of a gene are called alleles. Alleles are described as either dominant or recessive depending on their associated traits.

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What happens in DNA replication?

DNA replication is the process by which DNA makes a copy of itself. This happens during cell division, making sure that each new cell receives the same genetic information as the parent cell.

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What is RNA splicing?

Splicing occurs during protein synthesis, and involves cutting out and rearranging sections of mRNA.

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Stem Cell

What is a stem cell?

A stem cell has the unique ability to develop into other specialised cell types in the body.

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What is a telomere?

Telomeres are distinctive structures found at the ends of our chromosomes. They consist of the same short DNA sequence repeated over and over again.

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What is gene expression?

Gene expression is the process our cells use to convert the instructions in our DNA into a functional product, such as a protein.

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What is genetic variation?

Genetic variation is a term used to describe the variation in the DNA sequence in each of our genomes.

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