Fred Griffith's experiment with two strains of pneumonia-causing bacteria demonstrated ____.
A)the semiconservative nature of DNA replication
B)that harmless bacterial cells can be permanently and heritably transformed into lethal bacterial cells
C)that each cell of a given species contains the same amount of DNA
D)that radioactively labeled bacteriophages transfer their DNA but not their protein coats to their bacterial host
E)that mice can change the hereditary content of bacteria

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fred Griffith's experiment showed that harmless bacterial cells could be permanently transformed into lethal ones through the transfer of genetic material. This process is now known as bacterial transformation, and it played a key role in the discovery of DNA as the hereditary material.

Fred Griffith's Experiment with Two Strains of Pneumonia-Causing Bacteria Demonstrated