Question

Once DNA was shown to be the primary genetic material of life, a race among scientists took place to work out its structure. Which concept came from studying the amounts of each DNA base in different organisms?

Answer 1

The concept that came from studying the amounts of each DNA base in different organisms is base composition, which led to the discovery of Chargaff's rules.

Step-by-step explanation:

• The concept of studying the amounts of each DNA base in different organisms is known as base composition.
• Base composition refers to the relative proportions of the four DNA bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) in a DNA molecule.
• This concept was crucial in understanding the physical structure of DNA and how it accounts for the genes in different organisms.

• The study of base composition led to the discovery that the amount of adenine is roughly equal to the amount of thymine, and the amount of cytosine is roughly equal to the amount of guanine in a DNA molecule.
• This is known as Chargaff's rules.
• Different species have different percentages of each base, which contributes to the genetic diversity across organisms.