Episomes
Okay kiddo, so you know how every living thing has DNA inside their cells that tells their body how to grow and function, kind of like a blueprint for a house? Well, sometimes there are these little pieces of DNA called episomes that can float around inside a cell.
Episomes are special because they're not a part of the cell's normal DNA, but they can still replicate themselves and pass their genetic information onto other cells. It's kind of like if you had a toy car that wasn't a part of your regular toy collection, but you could still make copies of it and share them with your friends.
Some types of bacteria have episomes, and they can use them to do cool things like resist antibiotics or make toxins. Scientists also use episomes in genetic engineering, which is where they manipulate DNA to create new traits or fix genetic diseases.
So that's the basic idea, kiddo! Episomes are like little pieces of DNA that can move around and do their own thing, even though they're not a part of the cell's normal DNA.
Episomes are special because they're not a part of the cell's normal DNA, but they can still replicate themselves and pass their genetic information onto other cells. It's kind of like if you had a toy car that wasn't a part of your regular toy collection, but you could still make copies of it and share them with your friends.
Some types of bacteria have episomes, and they can use them to do cool things like resist antibiotics or make toxins. Scientists also use episomes in genetic engineering, which is where they manipulate DNA to create new traits or fix genetic diseases.
So that's the basic idea, kiddo! Episomes are like little pieces of DNA that can move around and do their own thing, even though they're not a part of the cell's normal DNA.