Why is DNA replication Important?
It is important for a cell to divide and continue life. When the cell divides even the blueprint also should be given to it for building up of the organism. Where does this come from in each of the new cells that are formed after cell division?
Yes, DNA also has to divide. The important characteristic of DNA is its ability to make several copies of it. The process of making copies of DNA strand in nucleus of the cell is called replication. The cell divides into two and distributes each copy of DNA into the divided cells. Through replication the DNA transfers the information necessary for creating an exact copy of it in the new cell. The copy is created in order to continue the species. DNA replication will make the organism to reproduce the genetic code and transfer it to the next generation. If the current life is stopped and not perpetuated then there would be nothing more to be seen in future. This is where DNA replication plays important role in perpetuation of life.
In cell division, when the two daughter cells are formed, they require a set of DNA identical to that of the parent cell in order to perform their function. The nitrogen base pairing rules that are followed in the parent DNA are replicated exactly in the children and hence the children will be identical to their parents. Replication is important as it generates same copy. As replication of DNA helps in forming the similar copy of it in the children, this concept has been used in forensic labs to investigate those cases where a dispute exists in identification of correct parents for a child.
Replication of DNA is important because we will get the same genes that are present in our parents. The identification of a family in the evolutionary tree becomes easy only when DNA replicates. This is because only through DNA replication exact copies are made and mutation rate is also less observed inside the nucleus. So for generations together we cannot observe many changes in the genetic structure which infers that they all belong to a single family.
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