Final answer:
B) Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA); DNA was identified as the genetic material. In the 1860s, Friedrich Miescher isolated a substance from cell nuclei named nuclein, later identified as DNA, which is the carrier of genetic information.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1860s, Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher isolated an acidic substance from cell nuclei, which he named nuclein. This substance would later be known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Miescher's discovery was significant because DNA was later identified as the genetic material, carrying genetic information crucial for the growth, development, function, and reproduction of all living organisms. The discovery of nuclein was foundational for the field of molecular biology and ultimately led to the understanding of the structure and function of DNA, following the development of the double-helix model.
Subsequent research by scientists such as Albrecht Kossell characterized the nucleotide bases found within nucleic acids, laying further groundwork for our modern understanding of genetics. Hershey and Chase's experiments in the 1950s confirmed that DNA is the genetic material through research with viruses and bacteria.
In the 1860s, a Swiss chemist named Friedrich Miescher isolated an acidic substance from cell nuclei. He named this substance nuclein because it was isolated from the nuclei of cells. This substance eventually came to be known as nucleic acid, which includes deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the carrier of genetic information, while RNA is involved in the process of converting DNA into protein molecules.