In 2010, a new type of life form was found in California's Lake Mono. The microbe found has a variation in the structure of its DNA. DNA is known to consist of nucleotides. In the newly discovered bacteria, it was hypothesized that arsenic is substituted for phosphorus when phosphorus is not present. If true, by substituting arsenic for phosphorous, the microbe would have

A) a different sugar.

B) a different nucleotide.

C) a different phosphate.

D) a different nitrogen base.

Question

Gabriella Khan

Biology

17 May, 17:14

In 2010, a new type of life form was found in California's Lake Mono. The microbe found has a variation in the structure of its DNA. DNA is known to consist of nucleotides. In the newly discovered bacteria, it was hypothesized that arsenic is substituted for phosphorus when phosphorus is not present. If true, by substituting arsenic for phosphorous, the microbe would have

A) a different sugar.

B) a different nucleotide.

C) a different phosphate.

D) a different nitrogen base.

+5

Answers (1)

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Paxton Jacobs · Answer 1

Arsenic is an element which is classified as a metalloid. It can be found as one of the components of the Earth's crust, or in other words, it can be found in nature. Arsenic is also considered a toxic substance. In the given scenario above, if arsenic is being used to substitute phosphorus if phosphorus is not present, the result is that, the microbe would have a different nucleotide. The answer for this is option B.