Biology / Unit 6 Bio 1251 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Codon Degeneracy
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The idea
Codon degeneracy means most amino acids are specified by more than one codon, so the genetic code maps 61 sense codons onto only 20 amino acids.
In practice
Leucine is specified by six different codons, while methionine is specified by only one.
Where people slip
Degeneracy means multiple codons can specify the same amino acid — no single codon specifies more than one amino acid.
Your place on the trail
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