What is the name for the process of copying DNA?

What is the name for the process of copying DNA?

• A. Replication
• B. Transcription
• C. Translation
• D. Mutation

Answer: (A)

DNA replication is the process by which a cell makes an exact copy of its genetic material in preparation for cell division. The double helix unwinds, each strand serves as a template, and DNA polymerases build two new complementary strands in the 5’ to 3’ direction. Because each new molecule contains one old strand and one new strand, replication is semiconservative, helping preserve genetic information with proofreading to minimize errors. This is distinct from transcription, which copies DNA into RNA for protein synthesis, and translation, which uses that RNA to build proteins. Mutation refers to a change in the DNA sequence, not the copying process itself.

DNA replication is the process by which a cell makes an exact copy of its genetic material in preparation for cell division. The double helix unwinds, each strand serves as a template, and DNA polymerases build two new complementary strands in the 5’ to 3’ direction. Because each new molecule contains one old strand and one new strand, replication is semiconservative, helping preserve genetic information with proofreading to minimize errors. This is distinct from transcription, which copies DNA into RNA for protein synthesis, and translation, which uses that RNA to build proteins. Mutation refers to a change in the DNA sequence, not the copying process itself.