DNA simplified

What is DNA? When you Google DNA, the first thing that pops up is its expansion - deoxyribonucleic acid. Also a very complicated explanation - the genetic material that carries information for the development and functioning of the body. 

Do we understand anything from it? When I read it first, I thought I was not even familiar with the language. But now I know. 

Instead of breaking down each word here, let's simply term them in a language we understand. 

Deoxyribo nucleic acid - certain chemical molecules. 

Genetic material - Consider you own a piece of land that you inherited from your family. It's well-documented and usable for whatever purpose it holds. Similarly, genetic material is nothing but a set of rules written in sequence format for the development and functioning of your body which is passed on to you through your parents.

Carries information - a certain sequence of these chemical molecules has a certain meaning. 

To simplify, let's consider the letters in the alphabet. A, B, C, D, and Z, when used in a certain way, provide meaning. When A, N, and T are combined, it becomes ANT, an insect. 

There are 26 letters in the alphabet and DNA is made up of just 4 chemical molecules. We can call them A, T, G, and C. 

A sequence of A, T, G, and C combined will give rise to DNA. 

What does it do carrying all that? It's not much by itself.

Functioning and development: Let's understand it with a day-to-day example. Consider a recipe book. The book holds information about something delicious to eat. Does it cook by itself? Not really. someone who is following the book will do. Similarly, a living cell contains so many other things apart from DNA. Some of those things, like chefs, will read the DNA and follow the orders.

Now how cool is that?