Here's why:
* Genes: DNA is organized into genes, which are segments of DNA that contain the code for a specific protein.
* Codons: Genes are made up of a sequence of nucleotides (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine). These nucleotides are arranged in groups of three called codons. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid.
* Transcription and Translation: When a protein needs to be made, the DNA sequence of a gene is first transcribed into a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. This mRNA then travels to the ribosomes, where the codons are translated into a chain of amino acids, which fold into a functional protein.
So, DNA acts as the blueprint, containing the instructions for building proteins, while RNA acts as the messenger, carrying those instructions to the ribosomes for protein synthesis.
