You can hardly turn around today without hearing mention of DNA and a reminder that this substance is the genetic material containing the blueprint for building an organism. If you're not a biologist, chances are you have little idea as to how this is done. Somewhat over-simplified, the DNA contains codes for proteins. The key here is that enzymes, substances that speed up chemical processes, are proteins. By supplying enzymes at the right times and in the right amounts, the chemical reactions that build and maintain an organism are elicited.
Proteins consist of long strings of chemicals known as amino acids.
DNA's role is to set the order in which various amino acids are linked to make up a
specific protein. This specification is through the order in which DNA units are
arranged. The result is analogous to writing—your mental image of letters are written
down in a specific order to construct the word. All our desert organisms share the same
DNA code—the differences merely are the order in which the DNA units occur.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.