DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the molecule that carries most hereditary genetic information in living organisms. Its sequence of chemical bases stores instructions used to build and maintain cells, making it a useful shorthand for the “blueprint of life.”
DNA usually forms a double helix made of two complementary strands. The four bases—adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine—pair in specific ways: A with T, and C with G. Sections of DNA called genes provide instructions for functional products, often proteins, while other regions help regulate when and where genes are used.
James Watson and Francis Crick described the double-helix structure in 1953, building on crucial evidence from Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and others. DNA is copied before cell division, allowing genetic information to pass to new cells and, through reproduction, to offspring.
RNA is not simply an incorrect alternative: many viruses use RNA as their genetic material, and cells use RNA to help read DNA instructions. Proteins perform much of the cell’s work, while lipids form membranes and store energy. DNA is the molecule most commonly meant by this quiz’s wording.