3. Genes and proteins - why study them?
Each tissue collected contains millions of cells, nearly all of which have a nucleus containing a bundle of molecules called DNA (deoxy-ribonucleic acid). DNA is the individual blueprint of each animal. It contains information about every detail of their bodies, from eye colour, to resistance to disease. These details are all coded on the DNA within each cell. A piece of DNA coding for a particular feature is called a gene. Most genes code for proteins which have a particular biochemical or structural function in the body. There are tens of thousands of different proteins.
We're interested in the genes of animals because they change over evolutionary time just as animals' bodies do. So, while other systematists are comparing things like toe length and nostril width (i.e. morphology) to see if animals are related, we are looking at molecules like proteins and DNA. Often two animals might look exactly the same, and only their genes or proteins will tell them apart.
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