The genetic code is a set of three-letter words. As we know, there is only four letter that makes up the DNA which is A, T, C, and G. And each group of three letters on the DNA is an instruction for an amino acid. The RNA, which is like a relative of the DNA, makes a mirror image of one gene of the DNA, one gene means one segment of the DNA. A copy of 3 letter instructions from DNA is also called the DNA triplets.

So as I said earlier, the “relative” of the DNA, which is the RNA makes a mirror image of one gene from the DNA, but what is RNA’s other function or job in the cell? one of the RNA’s function includes is protein synthesis, wherein mRNA molecules direct the assembly of proteins on ribosomes. This process uses messenger mRNA molecules to deliver amino acids to the ribosome, where RNA ribosomes forms protein. The protein is formed when the ribosomes reads each codon ‘or the triplets on the mRNA’  so only a specific amino acid can be added to the growth of the protein molecule.

So in this activity, which is the DNA bracelet activity, we built a bracelet to model how the genetic code is used to build protein. So, we picked a word and the word represents the protein while each letter represents the amino acids. In each letter, it has a set of 3-letter code or rather, the codons, so the fruit loops represents the codons. In this activity, I used the word “Giotto” it represents:

G – GGG

I – AAT

T – ACT

T – ACT

O – AAT

G – green; A – orange; C – pink; T – purple.

3 greens; 8 oranges; 2 pinks; 5 purples.

(Read from the green near the red string and read it clockwise)