DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid are two chemical substances involved in transmitting genetic
information from parent to offspring. It was known early into the 20th century that chromosomes, the genetic
material of cells, contained DNA. In 1944, Oswald T. Avery, Colin M. MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty
concluded that DNA was the basic genetic component of chromosomes. Later, RNA would be proven to
regulate protein synthesis. (Miller, 139)
DNA is the genetic material found in most viruses and in all cellular organisms. Some viruses do not have
DNA, but c…
