Question

Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase performed a famous experiment that has been dubbed the "blender experiment." In it, they attempted to prove that the hereditary material was DNA. They named the experiment as blender experiment because
I. They blended viruses and bacteria into agar slants.
II. They blended bacteria and viruses together after infection to rid the bacteria of their virus coats.
III. They found that by blending viruses and bacteria together, the viruses could be trapped on the sides of the blender.

• A. I only
• B. II only
• C. III only
• D. II and III are both true
• E. I, II, and III are all true

Answer 1

The correct option is B II only

Alfred D. Hershey and Martha Chase used radioactive phosphorus (32P) and radioactive sulfur (35S) and showed that when bacteriophage T2 infects its host cell, Escherichia coli, the phosphorus-containing DNA of the viral particle, not the sulfur-containing protein of the viral coat, enters the host cell and serves the genetic information for viral replication. For the purpose, they blended phage and bacteria together just after infection in a normal kitchen appliance to remove the phage coat. Following this, the viral DNA entered bacterial cell. Thus, the correct answer is option B.