DNA carries hereditary information from parents to offspring. Its sequence of chemical bases stores instructions used to build and maintain living organisms.
DNA is organized into chromosomes, and smaller functional segments of DNA are called genes. During reproduction, offspring receive genetic material from their parents, creating both continuity and variation within populations.
DNA is not itself a trait; rather, it helps influence traits through gene expression and interactions with the environment. RNA also has important biological roles, but in nearly all cellular life it usually acts as an intermediary or functional molecule rather than the main long-term hereditary archive.