Final answer:
The molecule that carries inherited information is DNA, which contains the genetic blueprint for an organism. This was confirmed through experiments like those of Chase and Hershey, which demonstrated that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hereditary Information in Molecules
The molecule that carries information in a form that is inherited from one generation to another is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is a double-stranded polymer of nucleotides that holds all the hereditary information necessary to form the proteins and RNA molecules of an organism. This discovery was pivotal to understanding biological inheritance. For many years, scientists believed that proteins, with their complex variety of amino acids, were the carriers of genetic information. However, the experiments conducted by scientists such as Avery, McCarty, McLeod, and notably, Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey, demonstrated that DNA is the genetic material, not proteins.
Chase and Hershey's experiment with bacteriophages showed that when viruses infect bacteria, it is the DNA inside the virus, not the protein coat, that is transmitted into the bacteria, leading to the production of new viruses. This proved that DNA is responsible for storing and passing on hereditary information.