Biochemistry 2280A Chapter Notes - Chapter 1-2: Chemical Polarity, Covalent Bond, Electron Shell
20 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Living cells all have a similar basic chemistry. Central dogma: genetic information flows from dna to rna via transcription and from rna to protein via translation. Sorts of molecules participating in similar chemical reactions. Dna polymer chains made of same 4 monomers (nucleotides) All organisms use same 20 amino acids to make proteins. Copy themselves by parasiting reproductive machinery of host cells. All present-day cells have apparently evolved from the same ancestral cell. Cell reproduction: replicate dna, divide in 2, pass dna to both daughter cells. Mutations: cause dna to change in a double stranded fashion. Sexual reproduction: 2 cells of same species fuse, pooling their dna. New dna combinations tested for ability to promote survival/reproduction. Evolution: the process by which living species become gradually modified and adapted to their environment in increasingly sophisticated ways. However, nothing in living organisms disobeys chemical/physical laws. Chemical reactions almost always take place in aqueous solution.
