DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are nucleic acids; alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates.
DNA is important due to the following reasons:
1) DNA plays a crucial role in research, and also to carry out different tasks pertaining to fields such as forensic science, genealogy, agriculture, medicine, etc.
2) Through the assessment of DNA, the paternity of a child can be identified, which has a significant effect on the child's upbringing and his or her life.
3) DNA is essential for the life of the human cell.
4) DNA codes for all the cell proteins that make life possible. The cell transcribes DNA into RNA, which it then translates into proteins. These include the enzymes, hormones and structural proteins that each cell needs.
5) Required for reproduction.
6) Cell division is essential for an organism to grow, but, when a cell divides, it must replicate the DNA in its genome so that the two daughter cells have the same genetic information as their parent.