Taylor's Radioactive Thymidine Experiment — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2024Which experimental material was used by Taylor and colleagues to prove that DNA in chromosomes replicates semiconservatively?
Which experimental material was used by Taylor and colleagues to prove that DNA in chromosomes replicates semiconservatively?
Taylor proved semiconservative chromosome replication in: (NEET 2016 Phase 2)
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: A — Vicia faba
Taylor and colleagues used Vicia faba (broad bean) root tip cells for their chromosome replication experiment. They used ³H-thymidine labeling and autoradiography to demonstrate semi-conservative replication in eukaryotic chromosomes. Vicia faba was ideal due to its large chromosomes and active cell division in root tips, making it suitable for studying DNA replication patterns.
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Very similar experiments involving use of radioactive thymidine to detect distribution of newly synthesised DNA in the chromosomes was performed on Vicia faba (faba beans) by Taylor and colleagues in 1958. The experiments proved that the DNA in chromosomes also replicate semiconservatively.
Taylor's 1958 experiments used radioactive thymidine (³H-thymidine) on Vicia faba chromosomes to prove that DNA replication is semiconservative, just like Meselson-Stahl showed in bacteria. NEET traps: students confuse Taylor's work with Meselson-Stahl (different organisms, same conclusion), or forget that radioactive thymidine specifically labels newly synthesized DNA strands. Remember: Taylor tracked DNA distribution across generations in plant cells, confirming each new DNA molecule contains one original strand and one newly synthesized strand. This concept appears frequently because it's a classic experimental proof of the semiconservative model across different organisms.
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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.