Question

The experiments by Hershey and Chase helped confirm that DNA was the hereditary material on the basis of the finding that:

a) Protein was the genetic material
b) DNA was radioactive
c) RNA was present in the cells
d) Phosphorus-containing DNA entered bacterial cells

Answer 1

Experiments by Hershey and Chase confirmed that DNA was the hereditary material based on the finding that only DNA, not protein, entered the bacterial cells. The correct option is (B).

Step-by-step explanation:

Experiments conducted by Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey in 1952 provided confirmatory evidence that DNA was the genetic material and not proteins. Chase and Hershey were studying a bacteriophage, which is a virus that infects bacteria.

They labeled one batch of phage with radioactive sulfur to label the protein coat, and another batch with radioactive phosphorus which is found in DNA but not protein.

The finding that only radioactive phosphorus entered the bacterial cells confirmed that DNA was the hereditary material.