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DNA as the Genetic Material definitions

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  • Genetic Material

    Molecule responsible for storing, transmitting, and replicating hereditary information in living organisms.
  • Tetranucleotide Hypothesis

    Early idea proposing a repetitive, simple structure for DNA, leading to doubts about its informational capacity.
  • Avery-MacLeod-McCarty Experiment

    1944 study demonstrating that DNA, not protein or RNA, transforms non-infectious viruses into infectious ones.
  • Hershey-Chase Experiment

    1952 experiment using labeled bacteriophages to show DNA, not protein, enters bacteria to direct viral reproduction.
  • Bacteriophage

    Virus that infects bacteria, used in pivotal experiments to distinguish between DNA and protein as genetic material.
  • X-ray Diffraction

    Technique that reveals molecular structure by analyzing patterns formed when X-rays scatter off a sample.
  • Double Helix

    Three-dimensional, spiral structure formed by two intertwined strands, characteristic of DNA's architecture.
  • Nucleotide

    Basic building block of DNA, consisting of a sugar, phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases.
  • Amino Acid

    Organic molecule forming proteins, once thought to provide the diversity needed for genetic information.
  • Protein Coat

    Protective outer layer of a virus, labeled in experiments to distinguish its role from that of DNA.
  • Mutation

    Change in genetic information, enabling evolution and variation within populations.
  • Replication

    Process by which genetic material is accurately copied for cell division and inheritance.
  • Rosalind Franklin

    Scientist whose X-ray diffraction data was crucial for revealing DNA's double helix structure.
  • Watson and Crick

    Researchers who constructed the first accurate model of DNA's double helix using experimental data.
  • Wilkins

    Collaborator in DNA structure discovery, shared Nobel Prize for contributions alongside Watson and Crick.