Base pairs (bp) are the fundamental building blocks of DNA and RNA, consisting of pairs of complementary nucleotide bases. In DNA, adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G). These pairs are held together by hydrogen bonds and form the rungs of the helical DNA ladder, providing stability and structure to the genetic material. The sequence of base pairs encodes genetic information, determining the synthesis of proteins and regulating biological processes. Base pairs are also used as a unit of measurement in genomics to describe the length of sequences and distances between genomic features.