BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES

Read the following text and discuss the terms!

The study of structure and functioning of biological molecules

now forms an important branch known as molecular biology.
This is a relatively young science, but the importance of the
subject is clear from the relatively large of Nobel prizes that have
awarded in this field. It has attracted some of the best scientists,
even from other disciplines like physics and mathematics.
Molecular biology is closely linked with biochemistry, which
looks at the chmeical reactions of biological molecules. The sum
total biochemical reactions in the body is known as metabolism.
 The building blocks of life

 The four most common elements in living organisms are, in

order of abundance, hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen.
 Carbon is particularly important because carbon atos can join
together to form long chains or ring structures.
 Polymers and macromolecules

 The term macromolecules means ‘giant molecule’. There are

thhree types of macromolecules in living organisms, namely,
polysaccharides, protein and nucleic acids.
 The prefix ‘poly’ means ‘many’ and these molecules are
polymers.
 Polymers means macromolecules made up of many repeating
subunits that are similar or identical to each other and are
joined end to end like beads on a string.