DNA Discovery and Function Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards detailing key experiments, scientists, and foundational concepts regarding the discovery of DNA as genetic material.

Gene

A section of a chromosome that codes for a specific trait.

Prophase

The stage of mitosis in which DNA wrapped around protein condenses.

Miescher (1860s)

Scientist who first extracted DNA from the nucleus, identifying it as nuclein.

Nuclein

The substance first extracted from cell nuclei by Miescher in the 1860s.

Griffith (1920)

Scientist who discovered that bacteria can transform by picking up genetic information from other bacteria.

Bacterial transformation

The process discovered by Griffith where bacteria pick up genetic information from other bacteria, such as harmless bacteria becoming live and deadly.

Avery (1940s)

Scientist who used digesting enzymes to test whether DNA or protein carries information, discovering that DNA causes transformation in bacteria and carries genetic info.

Hershey and Chase (1950s)

Scientists who demonstrated that DNA carries genetic information by showing viruses infect bacteria by injecting their DNA, not their protein.

Radioactive phosphorus

The radioactive marker used by Hershey and Chase to label viral DNA, which was recovered inside the host cell.

Radioactive sulfur

The radioactive marker used by Hershey and Chase to label viral protein.