What's DNA?

This activity will take 15 minutes, is for ages 11 to 14 with no supervision needed. You can do this activity anywhere!

Every person on the planet is complex and unique. This is thanks to one marvellous molecule – DNA.

What makes you, you?

Inside almost every cell of your body, you’ll find DNA. You can think of DNA as a recipe book for how to make you. DNA tells your body how to grow, how to repair and how to change.

DNA is one of the biggest molecules in your body. The DNA in just one cell is over two metres long. In fact, there’s enough DNA in your body to stretch from Earth to the Sun over 60 times.

Cracking the DNA code

Today, scientists can read DNA molecules using special machines. Within DNA are different sections called genes that have instructions for different parts of your body. One gene might contribute to how tall you are while another might influence the colour of your hair or eyes.

Just like we use an alphabet with 26 letters to make different words, DNA uses four molecules to make different instructions that tell your body what to do.

Crick scientists

Our scientists are discovering ways to edit DNA to treat diseases. They're using a technique called CRISPR that allows them to cut open a strand of DNA to remove or insert new sections of DNA code.

This means that they know which bits of DNA cause diseases, and understand more about how the disease works.