Final answer:
The Hershey-Chase experiment used bacteriophages to show that DNA is the genetic material. By labeling the DNA with radioactive phosphorus and tracking its incorporation into bacterial cells, they demonstrated that DNA, and not the protein coat, was responsible for carrying genetic information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Hershey-Chase experiment conducted in 1952 provided confirmatory evidence that DNA is the genetic material. They studied a bacteriophage, a virus that infects bacteria. By labeling the bacteriophage's DNA with radioactive phosphorus, they were able to show that the DNA, and not the protein coat, was the molecule that was inserted into bacterial cells, confirming that DNA is the genetic material.