Friedrich Miescher discovered nucleic acids in 1871. There are two main types of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA. DNA stores genetic material and is located in the nucleus. It replicates and transcribes into RNA. RNA has several types including mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA. mRNA carries genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm for protein synthesis. Nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides, which contain a phosphate group, a pentose sugar (ribose in RNA, deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogenous base. The bases are either purines (adenine and guanine) or pyrimidines (cytosine, thymine, and uracil). RNA is more susceptible than