What is meant by the redundancy of the genetic code?

The four letters (nucleotides) in our DNA code - ATGC - code for the thousands of different proteins that make up our metabolism and our human body. Proteins are made up of modular building blocks known as amino acids and there are 20 different amino acids in the human body. One amino acid is coded for by a string of three nucleotides known as a codon. There are 64 codons that code for 20 amino acids. The redundancy in the genetic code refers to the fact that there are more than one variation of codon that codes for the same amino acid. This is also known as the genetic code being degenerate.

SS
Answered by Stefan S. Biology tutor

14568 Views

See similar Biology IB tutors

Related Biology IB answers

All answers ▸

Describe the basic principles of cell theory giving examples to support them


Distinguish between the structure of plant and animal cells


What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?


Define sex linkage


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning