Concept
Genetic code
The set of rules by which sequences of three bases, called codons, specify amino acids.
Updated Oct 14, 2026 · 1 min read · 3 connections
- Codons
- 64
- Amino acids
- 20 standard
- First codon read
- 1961, Nirenberg and Matthaei
Mechanism
Genes in DNA are transcribed into RNA, and each three-base codon is translated into an amino acid or a stop signal. Several codons map to the same amino acid, a redundancy that tolerates some errors, a property studied with information theory.
Universality
Almost all organisms use the same code with only minor variations, strong evidence for common descent in evolution.