Question

Why does DNA contain thymine and RNA uracil?

Answer 1

DNA:

1. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a polymer made of two polynucleotide chains that coil around one another to form a double helix and which contains the genetic material necessary for all known organisms and many viruses to develop, function, grow, and reproduce.
2. One of the four nucleobases in DNA's nucleic acid, represented by the letters G-C-A-T, is thymine.
3. This is so that the DNA repair enzymes may recognize thymine rather than uracil.
4. Because thymine has a higher resistance to photochemical mutation and makes the genetic code more durable, DNA uses it instead of uracil.
5. This is required to store all the data required for life to function.
6. The chemical breakdown of cytosine results in the easy production of uracil in DNA.
7. As a result, the fact that thymine serves as its base makes it easier to detect and fix these early changes.

RNA:

1. A polymeric molecule called ribonucleic acid is crucial for a number of biological processes, including the coding, decoding, control, and expression of genes.
2. The letters A, G, C, and U stand for the four nucleobases that make up the nucleic acid RNA.
3. Uracil is one of these bases.
4. However, since mRNA is relatively short-lived and any potential faults don't result in any lasting damage, RNA employs uracil because the instability doesn't matter as much for RNA.
5. Thymine is also quickly oxidized.
6. The thymine in the nucleus is shielded from oxygen.