A gene is like a tiny instruction book inside our bodies. It tells our cells how to make specific things called proteins. These proteins are like the workers in a factory, and they help our bodies function properly.
Now, genes are made up of a special molecule called DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is a bit like a twisted ladder or a spiral staircase. It's made up of smaller parts called nucleotides, and there are four types of these nucleotides: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). These four letters, A, T, C, and G, make up the "code" that tells our cells what to do.
Genes can be found in the nucleus of our cells. Just imagine the nucleus as the control center of the cell, and the genes are like the blueprints that the cell follows to do its job.
Now, how do organisms get their genes? Well, when babies are made, they inherit genes from their parents. Half of the baby's genes come from the mother and the other half from the father. That's why you might have some traits that are similar to your parents, like eye color or hair texture.
But are all humans or dogs exactly the same? No, they're not! While humans and dogs share a lot of the same basic DNA building blocks, there are differences in the arrangement of these blocks. That's what makes each person or dog unique.
So, in a nutshell, genes are like instruction books made of DNA that tell our cells how to build proteins. They're found in the nucleus of our cells, and we inherit them from our parents, but each person and dog has their own unique set of genes that makes them special.