What is the genetic code composed of?

The genetic code is composed of codons, which are sequences of three nucleotides in DNA or RNA. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis. This triplet nature allows for a total of 64 possible codons that code for the 20 different amino acids used to build proteins. Understanding codons is crucial because they are the fundamental units that translate the genetic information stored in DNA into functional proteins, guiding various biological processes in the organism.

Genes are segments of DNA that contain the instructions for making proteins but are not the units of the genetic code themselves. Chromatids refer to the two identical halves of a replicated chromosome and do not directly relate to the genetic code. Chromosomes are structures formed from DNA and proteins that carry genetic information, but they are larger units that contain many genes and thus many codons. Thus, codons are the specific sequences that define the genetic code.