In the 1950s, the scientists Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase

Last updated: 8/2/2022

In the 1950s, the scientists Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase carried out an experiment using bacteriophages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. During the experiment, the scientists allowed bacteriophages that had been labeled with a radioactive element to infect bacterial cells. After carrying out their experiment, the scientists concluded that bacteriophages inject DNA (a type of nucleic acid), but not protein, into host bacterial cells during infection. To be able to form this conclusion, which of the following radioactive elements did Hershey and Chase most likely find inside infected bacterial cells? Choose 1 answer: Radioactive hydrogen Radioactive phosphorus Radioactive carbon Radioactive sulfur