Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) - The transforming factor
The transforming factor
DNA is a large molecule inside almost every cell in the body. In humans, DNA is found in the nucleus, the brain-center of the cell. Much like a cell, a nucleus is held together by a membrane or nuclear envelope. The DNA molecule coils in the nucleus so tightly that if all of the DNA in your body were unraveled and laid end to end, it would stretch from Earth to the Moon about 6,000 times!
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, scientists were working to discover what substance played a role in heredity. From early experiments and observations researchers knew parents passed their characteristics onto their offspring. Then a 1928 experiment showed that there was some substance that transmitted infectiousness to non-infectious bacteria. This was called the "transforming factor," because it transformed the bacteria.
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