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Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that carries the genetic instructions necessary for the biological development of all known organisms. Parents transmit copied portions of their DNA to offspring during reproduction. This transmission is the primary mechanism of biological inheritance.

In bacteria and other prokaryotes, DNA is distributed more or less throughout the cell. In the complex cells that make up plants, animals and other multi-celled organisms, most of the DNA is found in the chromosomes, which are located within the cell nucleus. The energy generating organelles known as chloroplasts and mitochondria also carry DNA, as do many viruses.