<span>The greatest concentration of nitrogen on the Earth is found in its atmosphere. The atmosphere is approximately 78 percent nitrogen. and second one bacteria</span>
Answer: The correct answer is-
an agent that causes a mutation in DNA.
Mutagen is an agent or a substance that causes permanent change in the genetic material of living organisms ( DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid). This process is called mutation.
A mutagen can be a chemical, physical or biological agent that causes mutation in the DNA.
Example- Physical agents such as -
- Ionizing radiations like alpha particles, gamma rays, X-rays that brings break in the DNA and cause other damages.
- Ultraviolet radiations that creates pyrimidine dimers ( T=T) and causes replication errors if damage is not repaired.
Griffith's experiment worked with two types of pneumococcal bacteria (a rough type and a smooth type) and identified that a "transforming principle" could transform them from one type to another.
At first, bacteriologists suspected the transforming factor was a protein. The "transforming principle" could be precipitated with alcohol, which showed that it was not a carbohydrate. But Avery and McCarty observed that proteases (enzymes that degrade proteins) did not destroy the transforming principle. Neither did lipases (enzymes that digest lipids). Later they found that the transforming substance was made of nucleic acids but ribonuclease (which digests RNA) did not inactivate the substance. By this method, they were able to obtain small amounts of highly purified transforming principle, which they could then analyze through other tests to determine its identity, which corresponded to DNA.
