ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Noncoding DNA

DNA is like a recipe book for our bodies. Imagine a recipe book that has different sections for different kinds of food - one section for salads, another for soups, and so on. Similarly, DNA also has different sections called genes that code for different kinds of proteins that our bodies need to function properly.

Now, noncoding DNA is like blank pages in the recipe book - they don't have any recipes on them. But just because they don't have recipes doesn't mean they're not important. They actually have some important jobs!

One of the jobs of noncoding DNA is to act like switches or brakes for genes. They can turn a gene on or off, or control how much of a protein is produced from a gene. This is like having a switch in the kitchen that you can use to turn the stove on or off, or control how hot it gets.

Another job of noncoding DNA is to help maintain the physical structure of the chromosome - the thing that holds all the DNA coils up like a string. This is like having a bookshelf to hold your recipe book or having a folder to keep your papers organized.

So even though noncoding DNA doesn't have any recipes (genes) on them, they still have important jobs to help keep our bodies running smoothly.