Answer:
DNA:
- is a single molecule that can be over 10,000,000 nucleotides long
- is usually double stranded
- includes the base thymine
- is the genome for prokaryotic organisms
RNA:
- can be translated into a protein
- is usually single stranded
- includes ribose sugar
- is a single molecule that can form a complex secondary structure
Explanation:
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the hereditary genetic material of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, while RNA is the genetic material of many viruses. DNA is a double helix molecule composed of four types of nucleotides: a nitrogenous base (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine), a five-carbon sugar (i.e., deoxyribose), and a phosphate group. On the other hand, RNA is usually a single-stranded molecule whose nucleotides contain ribose sugars and Uracil bases replace Thymine bases. During translation, a type of RNA molecule referred to as messenger RNA (mRNA) is used as template to direct the synthesis of a polypeptide chain (protein). This RNA molecule can fold to form stable double-stranded RNA hairpins (i.e., secondary structures).
