ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Translation (genetics)

Translation is a process that happens inside your cells. It helps turn the code in your genes into proteins that your body needs to function.

Imagine your genes are like a recipe book that tells your body how to make important things like hormones, muscles, and enzymes. However, the recipes are written in a special code using four letters called nucleotides (A, C, G, and T) instead of words.

When your cell needs a certain protein, a part of the DNA recipe book is copied into a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that can leave the nucleus of the cell (where your DNA is stored) and goes to the ribosome (a little factory inside the cell).

Once it gets there, the mRNA molecule is read by tiny machines called ribosomes. These ribosomes match each nucleotide of the mRNA with a special group of three nucleotides called codons. Each codon represents a different amino acid, which are the building blocks of proteins.

The ribosome then takes the right amino acid and attaches it to the growing chain of amino acids until it reaches the end of the mRNA molecule. The long chain of amino acids folds and twists in a specific way to make the protein that your body needs.

In simple terms, translation is like following a recipe and putting together different ingredients (amino acids) in a specific order to make something delicious (a protein).