Answer
Who proposed that the genetic code for amino acids should be made up of three nucleotides?
Correct Answer: (1) George Gamow
Explanation:
George Gamow, a physicist, proposed that the genetic code should be made up of three nucleotides. He argued that since there are only four nucleotide bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine/uracil), and 20 amino acids to code for, a single or double nucleotide code would not be sufficient. He suggested that a combination of three bases (triplet code) would generate 64 possible codons (4 × 4 × 4), which is more than enough to code for all 20 amino acids. This concept explained the redundancy in the genetic code and was foundational in understanding how genes encode proteins.
George Gamow, a physicist, proposed that the genetic code should be made up of three nucleotides. He argued that since there are only four nucleotide bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine/uracil), and 20 amino acids to code for, a single or double nucleotide code would not be sufficient. He suggested that a combination of three bases (triplet code) would generate 64 possible codons (4 × 4 × 4), which is more than enough to code for all 20 amino acids. This concept explained the redundancy in the genetic code and was foundational in understanding how genes encode proteins.