What is DNA?

The abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid, a substance found in the nucleus of every living cell. It contains the genetic information that causes characteristics to be passed on from parent to child. The single cell of a fertilised egg, which contains DNA from both parents, reproduces itself — and becomes a new living being — by dividing into two cells, which in turn divide into two, and so on. The DNA in each of these cells ensures that they are all of the same kind.