DNA Replication Worksheet with Diagram and Instructions

1. The new daughter strands are identical to the parent DNA molecule because each strand of the parent molecule serves as a template for a new complementary strand. During replication, adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G). This base-pairing rule ensures that the sequence of nucleotides in each new strand is exactly complementary to its parent strand, resulting in two double-stranded DNA molecules that are identical to the original.

2. In the painting, the process of DNA replication is represented by the splitting of the parent DNA molecule into two separate strands, which then serve as templates for the creation of new complementary strands. The artist has shown this by depicting the parent molecule separating down the middle and new nucleotides being added to each half to form two complete daughter molecules. The use of color coding for each base pair helps visualize how the new strands are built according to the base-pairing rules, mirroring the biological process where each strand directs the synthesis of its complement.