Common Household Items Found in Cells - Assignment Example

Common Household Items (chemicals) Found in Cells Our planet was born 4.5 billion years ago. The surface was inhabitable for the next 600 years because of the constant bombardment of the debris, which gradually tapered off 3.8 billion years ago. From bacteria to humans, everything evolved and there was uniformity at the molecular level. DNA is the unit of heredity. DNA carries their genes and code for proteins required for the metabolic activities of the cells. RNA lies in our cells and the 3 RNA’s - mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA carry out different tasks beyond carrying messages from DNA.

Information stored in the DNA is transcribed to RNA and then translated to proteins in the ribosomes, which is the seat of protein synthesis. The amino acids in a protein determine how it folds into a three-dimensional shape; this structure is, in turn, responsible for the function of the protein. Proteins carry out almost all the functions needed for cells to live. A change to the DNA in a gene can change a proteins amino acids, changing its shape and function: this can have a dramatic effect on the cell and on the organism as a whole.

Major metabolic reactions by which the cell obtains and stores energy is in the form of ATP. This metabolic energy is then used to accomplish various tasks, including the synthesis of macromolecules and other cell constituents like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Researchers believe that RNA is a unique molecule and the earth is home to RNA-based organisms, which could find food, grow and reproduce and gradually switch to double-stranded DNA.