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Martha Chase: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Martha Chase, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• A kitchen blender helped settle whether DNA or protein carries heredity

  In 1952, biologists still debated whether genes were made of DNA or protein. Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase labeled a virus's DNA and protein coat with different radioactive tags,…

  — Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase, Independent Functions of Viral Protein and Nucleic Acid in Growth of Bacteriophage

• Radioactive labels on a virus proved DNA, not protein, carries heredity

  In 1952, Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase labeled a virus's protein coat with radioactive sulfur and its DNA with radioactive phosphorus, then let it infect bacteria. Only the phosp…

  — Alfred D. Hershey and Martha Chase, Independent Functions of Viral Protein and Nucleic Acid in Growth of Bacteriophage

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