Hershey-Chase Experiment & DNA Proof — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2023Which scientist conducted an experiment with ³²P and ³⁵S labelled phages for demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material? (NEET 2023)
Which scientist conducted an experiment with ³²P and ³⁵S labelled phages for demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material? (NEET 2023)
Unequivocal proof that DNA is the genetic material was first proposed by: (NEET 2023)
The final proof for DNA as the genetic material came from the experiments of: (NEET 2017)
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: B — A.D. Hershey and M.J. Chase
A.D. Hershey and M.J. Chase conducted the famous blender experiment in 1952 using bacteriophages labeled with ³²P (for DNA) and ³⁵S (for proteins). They showed that only the ³²P-labeled DNA entered bacterial cells during infection, proving DNA as genetic material. This experiment provided unequivocal evidence that DNA, not protein, carries genetic information.
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The unequivocal proof that DNA is the genetic material came from the experiments of Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase (1952). They worked with viruses that infect bacteria called bacteriophages.
The Hershey-Chase experiment (1952) used bacteriophages (viruses infecting bacteria) to conclusively prove DNA is the genetic material. They labeled phage DNA with radioactive phosphorus (³²P) and protein coat with sulfur (³⁵S), then tracked which entered bacterial cells during infection. Students often confuse this with Griffith's transformation experiment or mistake which radioactive element labels DNA versus protein. Remember: ³²P labels DNA (phosphorus in DNA backbone), ³⁵S labels protein coat; only ³²P entered the bacteria, proving DNA carries genetic information. This concept appears repeatedly in NEET because it's direct experimental evidence, not just theory.
What does NCERT say about unequivocal proof that DNA?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.