ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Processivity

Processivity is a big word that means how good a person or thing is at doing something over and over again without stopping.

Let's say you are playing a game and you have to bounce a ball on your head. If you can bounce the ball many times in a row without missing, then you have good processivity.

In science, processivity can describe how well enzymes (tiny machines in our bodies) are able to do their job of copying DNA without stopping. Enzymes are like little workers that do tasks in our bodies, like building proteins or copying DNA.

When an enzyme is very processive, it means it can copy a long strand of DNA without stopping. This is important because if an enzyme stops or makes a mistake while copying DNA, it can lead to problems like mutations or diseases.

So processivity is a way to measure how well enzymes can keep doing their job, whether it's bouncing a ball or copying DNA, without making mistakes or stopping.