Question

You are excited because your lab is studying the first microorganisms retrieved from mars! interestingly, their genetic material consists of a single-stranded nucleic acid with six different nitrogenous bases. like organisms from earth, segments of the nucleic acid contain the code for making proteins. your experiments indicate that a single deletion in the nucleotide chain almost always leads to loss of function in the coded protein. however, when you make two deletions very close together, the protein usually functions normally. based on these results, you conclude that the genetic code in these organisms is read in groups of ______ nucleotides. (enter your answer as a numeral not a word,
e.g. use 5 not five.)

Answer 1

The answer is 2.

The genetic code is read of 2 nucleotides which mean that 2 nucleotides are responsible for producing one amino acid. 

The removal of one amino acid from a protein doesn't alter the sequence of the remaining amino acids and this can be repaired or don't affect the whole sequence of the amino acids in the protein molecule.

The removal of only one codon alters the whole sequence of the nitrogenous bases and the whole arrangement of the amino acids giving another type of protein and affects its structure.