Question

What does it mean when scientists say that living organisms share a universal genetic code?

Answer 1

I think scientist are trying to say that all organisms are in some way shape or form related to one another

Answer 2

is there multiple answers

Answer 3

All living organisms have a shared ancestor deep in the past, so all living organisms are related to some degree. We might share 99.8% DNA with chimps, but we also share maybe (just a guess, I don't remember the exact number) 24% DNA with lettuce. If all living organisms are related, than their genetic code is universal - one and the same for all organisms.

Answer 4

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120215122109AAfL8j7

Answer 5

No its more or less opinionated

Answer 6

When scientists say they share a universal genetic code it means that all organisms it can mean either:

-DNA as the main source of hereditary information in all life forms we know of

or more likely

that all organisms we know of use a three base pair code for the synthesis of proteins, DNA produces mRNA this mRNA is read three base pairs at a time by a ribosome, this is called the genetic code.

Here is the genetic code, each three letter code represents three nucleotide bases and each three letter codes for an amino acid, note there is redundancy in the code.
http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/MGA2-03-28.jpg

Please be aware that this code is not really universal as we have discovered organisms that deviate from this code. For example an organism might see UUU and read that as a Leucine instead of a proline. So the code isn't really universal.

Also please be aware of the fact that only a small portion of DNA actually codes for proteins and also proteins are not the only product DNA produces, it also produces many types of RNA that doesn't code for protein that serve various functions inside the cell for example: snRNA and tRNA, rRNA

Answer 7

http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/4fabed77e4b059b524f79d68

Answer 8

Thanks!