Sprout&Spark
All stories

The Story of DNA

How we found the recipe inside us

Take a tiny peek inside yourself to discover the secret code that makes you, YOU!

1/5
  1. 1869

    A Gooey Discovery

    A scientist named Friedrich Miescher washed old bandages to study cells. He found a weird gooey substance inside them that nobody had ever seen before!

The big idea

DNA is the special instruction booklet hidden inside every living thing.

Fun facts

  • You share about 60% of your DNA code with a yellow banana!
  • All humans share 99.9% of the exact same DNA with each other.
  • If you uncoiled all the DNA in your whole body, it would reach to the Sun and back!

Science words

  • DNAThe tiny chemical code inside your cells that tells your body how to grow.
  • CellA microscopic building block that makes up every part of your body.
  • GeneA small section of DNA that controls a trait, like your hair or eye color.