Gavriel Boroosan
Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael
All living organisms consist of cells. Cells contain mainly internal structures and are highly complex. There are three main types of cells: archaea, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes. Prokaryotes are single celled, archaea are organisms often found in extreme environmental condition, and eukaryotes are multi-cellular organisms which include humans and animals ("Cells - Structure and Function," n.d.). While all types of cells contain deoxyribonucleic acid, I will be focusing specifically on types of damage and repair in eukaryotic cells as this applies to aging in humans, as well as different options to slow and prevent aging at it’s current rate.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule found in every eukaryotic cell. DNA provides instructions to build proteins. These proteins allow living organisms to live, grow, and develop. The mitochondria and nucleus house the DNA for eukaryotic cells. The nucleus is one of the most important parts of a eukaryotic cell. It contains DNA which stores and gives instructions on how cells should reproduce. During reproduction, nuclear DNA, or DNA found in the nucleus, is obtained from the male and female equally (National Institute of Health, 2014). Mitochondria are another very important feature found in cells. Mitochondria are responsible for many cellular activities, but probably the most important is being able to convert energy from food into usable energy for the body (Newcastle University, n.d.). DNA located in the mitochondria is only passed on from the female.
Nucleotides make up DNA sequences. Each nucleotide contains a phosphate group, a sugar group, and a nitrogen base. The nitrogen bases are adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine. Nitrogen bases pair together to form a double helix structure. Adenine pairs with thymine, and guanine pairs with cytosine which joins two DNA strands and then coils around. These four nitrogen bases make up the different
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