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    When did the Hershey-Chase experiment provide solid evidence that DNA, not proteins, is the genetic material?
    Question

    When did the Hershey-Chase experiment provide solid evidence that DNA, not proteins, is the genetic material?

    A.

    1957

    B.

    1952

    C.

    1950

    D.

    1946

    Correct option is B

    ​The correct answer is: (B) 1952
    Explanation:
    ● The Hershey–Chase experiment was conducted in 1952 using bacteriophages.
    ● They labelled DNA with radioactive phosphorus (³²P) and proteins with sulfur (³⁵S).
    ● Only DNA entered the bacterial cell, proving DNA is the genetic material.
    Information Booster:
    ● Conducted by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase.
    ● Used T2 bacteriophage infecting E. coli.
    ● Built on Griffith’s transformation experiment.
    ● Confirmed Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty’s 1944 findings.
    ● Earned Hershey a share of the 1969 Nobel Prize.
    Additional Knowledge:
    ● DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid.
    ● Discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869.
    ● Double-helix structure was proposed by Watson & Crick (1953).
    ● DNA is made of nucleotides (sugar + phosphate + nitrogen base).
    ● Nitrogen bases: A, T, G, C (A–T & G–C pairing).
    ● DNA is found mainly in the nucleus; small amount in mitochondria.
    ● Carries genetic instructions for growth, development, and heredity.
    ● DNA replication is semi-conservative (proved by Meselson–Stahl experiment).
    ● Human DNA has about 3 billion base pairs.​

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