Question

______ were known to have nucleic acids and proteins; both molecules were candidates to be the genetic material but experimental data showed that nucleic acid DNA is the info basis for heredity.

A) Ribosomes
B) Chromosomes
C) Viruses
D) Bacteria

Answer 1

Viruses, particularly bacteriophages, were instrumental in the experiments by Hershey and Chase that confirmed DNA as the genetic material responsible for heredity. The DNA injected by these viruses into host bacterial cells carried the genetic instructions, not the protein coat.

Step-by-step explanation:

The organisms that were known to have nucleic acids and proteins, and were used in critical experiments that led to the discovery that DNA is the information basis for heredity, are C) Viruses. The landmark experiments conducted by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase used bacteriophages, a type of virus that infects bacteria.

Their experiments involved labeling the DNA and protein components of these viruses with radioactive isotopes to determine which part entered the bacterial cells upon infection. The conclusive results showed that it was the DNA, not the protein, which transmitted genetic information, confirming that DNA is the genetic material.

Nucleic acids, including both DNA and RNA, are essential macromolecules found in all living cells. DNA is the primary genetic material, carrying the instructions for the development and function of living organisms. It is found both in the cytoplasm in prokaryotes and within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, as well as in organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts.