Bartel and Szostak hypothesized that among a large pool of RNA molecules,some of them may contain the enzymatic ability to catalyze a covalent bond between nucleotides;these can be selected for in the laboratory.The chart above shows the results from their experiment.The x-axis shows the original pool and 10 pools that were derived from their tagging of RNA with specific enzymatic functions;the y-axis shows the rate of phosphoester (covalent)bond formation.Was their hypothesis supported by this experiment and why?
A)Yes,because pools 1 to 10 show a continual increase in covalent bond formation.
B)Yes,because the original pool shows some covalent bonds were formed.
C)No,because there is only a slight increase from the original pool to the first experimental pool.
D)No,because chemical selection would only increase the rate of covalent bond formation in the first few pools.

Question

Bartel and Szostak hypothesized that among a large pool of RNA molecules,some of them may contain the enzymatic ability to catalyze a covalent bond between nucleotides;these can be selected for in the laboratory.The chart above shows the results from their experiment.The x-axis shows the original pool and 10 pools that were derived from their tagging of RNA with specific enzymatic functions;the y-axis shows the rate of phosphoester (covalent)bond formation.Was their hypothesis supported by this experiment and why? 
A)Yes,because pools 1 to 10 show a continual increase in covalent bond formation. 
B)Yes,because the original pool shows some covalent bonds were formed. 
C)No,because there is only a slight increase from the original pool to the first experimental pool. 
D)No,because chemical selection would only increase the rate of covalent bond formation in the first few pools.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hypothesis was supported by the experiment because the results showed a continual increase in covalent bond formation in the 10 pools derived from the original pool, indicating that RNA molecules with enzymatic ability to catalyze covalent bond formation were selected for in the laboratory.

Bartel and Szostak Hypothesized That Among a Large Pool of RNA