What Does It Mean to Say That the Genetic Code

Question

What does it mean to say that the genetic code is redundant?
A) There is more than one kind of amino acid in proteins.
B) More than one rRNA can bind to the ribosome at the same time.
C) A codon is composed of more than one nucleotide.
D) More than one codon can specify the same amino acid.
E) All products of translation contain a certain minimum number of mistakes, called mutations.

Accepted Answer

Redundancy in the genetic code means that more than one codon can specify the same amino acid. For example, both the codons UCU and UCC code for the amino acid serine. This redundancy allows for some flexibility in the genetic code and helps protect against mutations that might result in a non-functional protein.