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Student worksheet

Turn Your Name Into DNA

Use DNA My Name to explore amino acid one-letter codes, DNA codons, and why more than one codon can encode the same amino acid.

Name

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Class

________________________

Date

________________________

1. Generate your sequence

  1. Go to dnamyname.com.
  2. Enter your first name and select DNA My Name.
  3. Record the amino acids and DNA codons shown in your result.

2. Read the codon table

Use the codon reference table to answer these questions.

  1. Choose one amino acid from your name. Which DNA codons can encode it?
  2. Which amino acid in your name has the most codon options?
  3. Find one amino acid with only one codon. Why might that be biologically important?

3. Test codon degeneracy

  1. Press Shuffle once and record one codon that changed.
  2. Did your amino acid sequence change? Explain why or why not.
  3. How does this model show that DNA can change without changing the protein?
Remember: DNA My Name uses real codon biology, but your result is a fictional classroom model. It is not your real genetic sequence.