Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are essential to all known forms of life. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components consisting of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. Nucleic acids carry information in cells and make up genetic material. They are very common in all living things, where they create, encode, and store information in every living cell of every life-form on Earth. There are two main types of nucleic acids:

• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): This is the genetic material found in living organisms, from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. DNA encodes the information cells need to make proteins.

• Ribonucleic acid (RNA): This comes in different molecular forms that play multiple cellular roles, including protein synthesis. RNA is the genetic material of certain viruses, but it is also found in all living cells.

Nucleic acids are named for their initial discovery within the nucleus, and for the presence of phosphate groups. They are linear polymers, meaning they are long chain-like molecules composed of a series of nearly identical building blocks called nucleotides. The two main classes of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA. DNA is the master blueprint for life and constitutes the genetic material in all free-living organisms and most viruses, while RNA plays an important role in certain processes such as the making of proteins.