The document outlines the three major stages of transcription and translation: 1) replication, where DNA is copied during cell division; 2) transcription, where part of a DNA strand is copied into mRNA; and 3) translation, where the mRNA is used by the ribosome to produce a polypeptide based on the mRNA codons. During translation, tRNAs bring amino acids to the ribosome which link them together based on the mRNA codons to form a protein.