Until the Mid-1940s,which Molecule was Favoured as the Molecule of Inheritance

Question

Until the mid-1940s,which molecule was favoured as the molecule of inheritance?
A)lipid
B)carbohydrate
C)protein
D)DNA
E)RNA

Accepted Answer

Before the discovery of the structure of DNA in the mid-1940s, proteins were favored as the molecule of inheritance. This was because proteins were known to have a great diversity of functions and were seen as the most complex and versatile molecules in the cell. However, subsequent experiments by Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty, as well as Hershey and Chase, demonstrated that DNA, rather than protein or any other molecule, was the genetic material responsible for inheritance.