What are nucleic acids? Mention their two important functions.

(N/A) Nucleic acids are biomolecules found in the nuclei of all living cells,as one of the constituents of chromosomes. There are mainly two types of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid $(DNA)$ and ribonucleic acid $(RNA)$. Nucleic acids are also known as polynucleotides as they are long-chain polymers of nucleotides. Two main functions of nucleic acids are:
$(i)$ $DNA$ is responsible for the transmission of inherent characters from one generation to the next. This process of transmission is called heredity.
$(ii)$ Nucleic acids (both $DNA$ and $RNA$) are responsible for protein synthesis in a cell. Even though the proteins are actually synthesised by the various $RNA$ molecules in a cell,the message for the synthesis of a particular protein is present in $DNA$.