DNA stands for "deoxyribonucleic acid". It is a molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism. DNA is made up of two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder, a shape known as a double helix. Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups. Attached to each sugar is one of four bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or thymine (T) . The sequence of these bases along DNAs backbone encodes biological information, such as the instructions for making a protein or RNA molecule. DNA is stored in the chromosomes that are inside every cell of the body, and everyone inherits two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.