Friedrich Miescher first isolated nucleic acid from cell nuclei in 1869. There are two main types of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA. DNA is found in the cell nucleus and mitochondria/chloroplasts, while RNA is found throughout the cell. DNA serves as the genetic material based on several lines of evidence. Nucleic acids are composed of nucleotides, which contain a phosphate, a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and a nitrogenous base. The nucleotides bond together via the phosphate and sugar components to form the backbone of nucleic acids. In DNA, the bases adenine and thymine pair together, as do cytosine and guanine, via hydrogen bonds between the strands to form the double hel