Genetics

The Central Dogma of Biology 

(fancy for main idea) is that DNA code is transcribed into RNA code, which is translated into an amino acid sequence, which folds into a specifically-shaped protein structure that then performs an important function within the cell. Each section of DNA that codes for a protein (which determines a trait) is referred to as a gene. We have to copies of each gene, each from one of our parents. Each version of the genes is called an allele. For instance, we could have two different alleles (brown and blue) for the eye color gene, one inherited from each parent.

DNA  ->  RNA  ->  amino acid sequence  -> protein shape  ->  protein function