Lesson 6: What Is Biology

Student Name______Date______Period______

Lesson 20: Nucleic Acids

Lesson Due Date: ______Grade Earned______Teacher Initials_____

Vocabulary / Define the following words that were included in today’s lesson:
Nucleic acid-
DNA-
RNA-
Nucleotide-
Writing for Credit / Explain the main differences between DNA and RNA and tell where each is located within the cell.
Connections to Learning / What prior knowledge made today’s lesson more meaningful? What did you know already? (“Free write” in this area.)
Summary / Summarize today’s lesson: What occurred? What did you learn?
Practice / What do you still need to study/practice/reinforce? (You MUST write something here.)

Practice and Application Questions

1. ______/ Which statement best describes the relationship between cells, DNA, and proteins?
1. Cells contain DNA that controls the production of proteins.
2. DNA is composed of proteins that carry coded information for how cells function.
3. Proteins are used to produce cells that link amino acids together into DNA.
4. Cells are linked together by proteins to make different kinds of DNA molecules.
2. ______/ The genetic code of a DNA molecule is determined
by a specific sequence of
1. ATP molecules 3. chemical bonds
2. sugar molecules 4. molecular bases
3. ______/ The photographs below show some physical similarities between John Lennon and his son Julian.

Which conclusion can be drawn regarding these similarities?
1. The DNA present in their body cells is identical.
2. The percentage of their proteins with the same molecular composition is high.
3. The base sequences of their genes are identical.
4. The mutation rate is the same in their body cells.
4. / They Sure Do Look Like Dinosaurs
When making movies about dinosaurs, film producers often use ordinary lizards and enlarge their images thousands of times. We all know, however, that while they look like dinosaurs and are related to dinosaurs, lizards are not actually dinosaurs.
Recently, some scientists have developed a hypothesis that challenges this view. These scientists believe that some dinosaurs were actually the same species as some modern lizards that had grown to unbelievable sizes. They think that such growth might be due to a special type of DNA called repetitive DNA, often referred to as “junk” DNA because scientists do not understand its functions. These scientists studied pumpkins that can reach sizes of nearly 1,000 pounds and found them to contain large amounts of repetitive DNA. Other pumpkins that grow to only a few ounces in weight have very little of this kind of DNA. In addition, cells that reproduce uncontrollably have almost always been found to contain large amounts of this type of DNA.
State one reason why scientists formerly thought of repetitive DNA as “junk.”
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“Living Environment: Biology Lecture and Homework Workbook - 150 Daily Assignments That Make A Difference”

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