Do all living things contain DNA?

Answer 1

Most do. The only exceptions are some viruses, and scientists will argue till the cows come home over whether viruses count as living things or not.

Some viruses have no DNA. Instead, they store their genetic instructions in RNA. Just one example: the virus that causes AIDS, namely HIV.

Answer 2

All cellular life contains DNA.

Some organisms use RNA as their genetic material in place of DNA (RNA viruses). But it is questionable whether or not viruses can be considered 'living' as they cannot reproduce or grow independently of a host cell.

If you consider a prion to be a "living thing", then that doesn't contain any nucleic acids at all. But prions are even further from the definition of 'living' than viruses are, so the majority of scientists will not consider them to be 'alive'.

This is of course assuming that there is no extraterrestrial life. If there is, who knows what it may contain?

Answer 3

No, not all living things contain DNA. Some organisms, like viruses, may have genetic material made of RNA instead of DNA. However, almost all larger organisms, such as plants, animals, and fungi, contain DNA as their genetic material.

Answer 4

Yes. It is also found in remains of things that once lived. DNA is the chemical recipe that allows living things to reproduce.

Answer 5

Every living thing, plant and animal, has DNA.

Answer 6

Every single thing

Answer 7

It makes up our genetic code.

Answer 8

Yes. All living things have DNA or RNA.

Answer 9

yes