Which molecule carries genetic information from parent to offspring?

Which molecule carries genetic information from parent to offspring?

• A. RNA
• B. DNA
• C. Proteins
• D. Lipids

Answer: (B)

Genetic information is stored in DNA, the molecule that holds the instructions for inherited traits. The DNA sequence encodes genes, and during reproduction those instructions are passed to offspring through the transmission of DNA in gametes. DNA’s long, stable double-helix structure, with its base-pairing rules, also enables accurate replication so information is faithfully copied and inherited. RNA, while essential as the messenger that carries instructions from DNA to the protein-making machinery, is not the primary heritable material. Proteins perform the functions of the cell, but they do not store hereditary information across generations. Lipids are structural and energy-storing molecules, not carriers of genetic information. So, the molecule that carries genetic information from parent to offspring is DNA.

Genetic information is stored in DNA, the molecule that holds the instructions for inherited traits. The DNA sequence encodes genes, and during reproduction those instructions are passed to offspring through the transmission of DNA in gametes. DNA’s long, stable double-helix structure, with its base-pairing rules, also enables accurate replication so information is faithfully copied and inherited.

RNA, while essential as the messenger that carries instructions from DNA to the protein-making machinery, is not the primary heritable material. Proteins perform the functions of the cell, but they do not store hereditary information across generations. Lipids are structural and energy-storing molecules, not carriers of genetic information.

So, the molecule that carries genetic information from parent to offspring is DNA.