
Nucleic acid | Definition, Function, Structure, & Types | Britannica
Dec 29, 2025 · What is the basic structure of a nucleic acid? Nucleic acids are long chainlike molecules composed of a series of nearly identical building blocks called nucleotides.
Virus - Structure, Capsid, Genome | Britannica
Dec 17, 2025 · The nucleic acid and proteins of each class of viruses assemble themselves into a structure called a nucleoprotein, or nucleocapsid. Some viruses have more than one layer of …
Nucleic acid - DNA, Genes, Molecules | Britannica
Dec 29, 2025 · Nucleic acid - DNA, Genes, Molecules: DNA is a polymer of the four nucleotides A, C, G, and T, which are joined through a backbone of alternating phosphate and …
Virus | Definition, Structure, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 17, 2025 · The true infectious part of any virus is its nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA but never both. In many viruses, but not all, the nucleic acid alone, stripped of its capsid, can infect …
Base | nucleic acid | Britannica
Other articles where base is discussed: nucleic acid: Basic structure: …four of five possible nitrogen-containing bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).
Biomolecule | Definition, Structure, Functions, Examples, & Facts ...
5 days ago · Among biomolecules, nucleic acids, namely DNA and RNA, have the unique function of storing an organism’s genetic code —the sequence of nucleotides that determines the …
Virion | Capsid, Envelope & Nucleic Acid | Britannica
Virion, an entire virus particle, consisting of an outer protein shell called a capsid and an inner core of nucleic acid (either ribonucleic or deoxyribonucleic acid—RNA or DNA).
Phoebus Levene | Discoveries & Biography | Britannica
What is the basic structure of a nucleic acid? Nucleic acids are long chainlike molecules composed of a series of nearly identical building blocks called nucleotides.
DNA | Definition, Discovery, Function, Bases, Facts, & Structure ...
Dec 11, 2025 · In 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick, aided by the work of biophysicists Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, determined that the structure of DNA is a double-helix …
Nucleotide | Description, Types, Function, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 11, 2025 · In the two families of nucleic acids, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the sequence of nucleotides in the DNA or RNA codes for the …