Final answer:
Okazaki fragments are short stretches of DNA on the lagging strand, synthesized away from the replication fork. They are named after researchers Reiji and Tsuneko Okazaki.
Step-by-step explanation:
Okazaki fragments are short stretches of DNA on the lagging strand, which is synthesized in the direction away from the replication fork. They are named after the Japanese research team and married couple Reiji and Tsuneko Okazaki, who first discovered them in 1966. The lagging strand synthesis is discontinuous, with each Okazaki fragment beginning with a 5' RNA primer that is later replaced with deoxynucleotides before the fragments are stitched together.