In 1952, Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey were able to prove that DNA is the genetic material of the phage T2.
The T2 phage consists almost entirely of DNA and protein, it also attacks E. Coli (, a common intestinal bacteria of mammals).
The T2 phage quickly turns an E. coli cell into a T2-producing factory that releases phages whenever the cell ruptures.
To determine what the source of the genetic material is in the phage, Hershey and Chase designed an experiment in which they labeled the protein or the DNA and then tracked what entered the E. coli cell during infection.
They grew one batch of the T2 phage in the presence of the radioactive sulfur, marking only the proteins but not the DNA.
They grew another batch but this time with the presence