The chart indicates the genetic code, including the stop codons UAG, UAA, and UGA, and the start codon AUG that encodes the amino acid methionine.
The genetic code is a series of instructions to encode proteins from the genetic material in the form of DNA, which is transcribed into a messenger RNA and then to protein.
These processes are known as transcription and translation, respectively. Transcription leads to a complementary mRNA strand to the DNA strand used as a template, while translation involves using codons to add amino acids to the growing polypeptide.
The genetic code is universal because it is roughly similar in most organisms, with the exception of some Archea or bacteria.