Question

Hershey and Chase demonstrated that DNA and protein enters the bacterial cell during phage reproduction and both are passed onto progeny phage.

a. True
b. False

Answer 1

Hershey and Chase demonstrated that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material. Their experiments showed that only the 32P-labeled DNA entered bacterial cells during phage reproduction, supporting the conclusion that DNA is the genetic material.

Step-by-step explanation:

True.

Hershey and Chase's experiments with bacteriophages provided confirmatory evidence that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material. In their experiments, they labelled the bacteriophages with radioactive isotopes: 35S, which labels protein, and 32P, which labels DNA. They found that only the 32P-labeled DNA entered the bacterial cells, indicating that DNA is the genetic material.

This discovery played a crucial role in establishing DNA as the molecule responsible for heredity.