2011 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2011. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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How rapidly does DNA change per minute? If we are growing everyday.      Robin Troxell, M.S., C.G.C.: I am a pediatric and prenatal genetic counselor. I have a special interest in perinatal hospice. DNA is a very long molecule made up of repeating units called nucleotides. The backbone of the nucleotides is the same, but the "bases" attached to the backbone can change. There are four different bases, (A,C,G,T) and that is where all the genetic information for making an organism resides. This basic information is passed down from cell to cell. Most mutations that occur are corrected. Merced Community College in AR (student)

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