What is the central dogma of molecular biology?

The central dogma describes the flow of genetic information in cells: DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into protein (DNA -> RNA -> Protein). Francis Crick proposed this concept in 1958. While this represents the primary information flow, exceptions exist such as reverse transcription (RNA to DNA in retroviruses) and RNA replication in RNA viruses. The dogma emphasizes that information flows from nucleic acids to proteins but not in reverse.