Table of contents

1. Introduction to Genetics51m
2. Mendel's Laws of Inheritance3h 37m
3. Extensions to Mendelian Inheritance2h 41m
4. Genetic Mapping and Linkage2h 28m
5. Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses1h 21m
6. Chromosomal Variation1h 48m
7. DNA and Chromosome Structure56m
8. DNA Replication1h 10m
9. Mitosis and Meiosis1h 34m
10. Transcription1h 0m
11. Translation58m
12. Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes1h 19m
13. Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes44m
14. Genetic Control of Development44m
15. Genomes and Genomics1h 50m
16. Transposable Elements47m
17. Mutation, Repair, and Recombination1h 6m
18. Molecular Genetic Tools19m
- Genetic Cloning
  9m
- Methods for Analyzing DNA
  9m
19. Cancer Genetics29m
- Overview of Cancer
  21m
- Cancer Mutations
  7m
20. Quantitative Genetics1h 26m
21. Population Genetics50m
- Hardy Weinberg
  19m
- Allelic Frequency Changes
  31m
22. Evolutionary Genetics29m

7. DNA and Chromosome Structure

DNA as the Genetic Material

Genetics

7. DNA and Chromosome Structure

DNA as the Genetic Material

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Multiple Choice

In the 1940s, scientists had concluded that the genetic material was most likely either:

DNA or carbohydrate

RNA or lipid

DNA or protein

Carbohydrate or protein

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Verified step by step guidance

Step 1: Understand the historical context of the problem. In the 1940s, scientists were trying to identify the molecule responsible for heredity, but they had not yet confirmed whether it was DNA, RNA, protein, carbohydrate, or lipid.

Step 2: Recall that early hypotheses considered several macromolecules as candidates for genetic material, including DNA, RNA, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, because all are essential biological molecules.

Step 3: Recognize that by the 1940s, the main contenders were DNA and protein, as these molecules were known to carry complex information and had structural diversity suitable for genetic coding.

Step 4: Note that carbohydrates and lipids were less likely candidates because they lack the complexity and variability needed to store genetic information.

Step 5: Conclude that the correct pair of candidates considered by scientists in the 1940s was DNA or protein, reflecting the scientific understanding before the definitive experiments that identified DNA as the genetic material.