You discover alien life with a genetic system based on a DNA-like molecule, but it has 6 bases instead of 4 as happens on Earth. The proteins on the planet are built from combinations of 30 possible amino acids. What would be the minimum number of bases in each codon on this planet?
A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4
E)6

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The minimum number of bases in each codon can be determined using the formula:

Number of codons = (number of bases)^(number of codons)

On Earth, we have 4 bases and 64 codons. Using this formula, we can calculate the minimum number of bases required on this alien planet:

30 = (6)^n

Taking the logarithm of both sides, we get:

n = log(30)/log(6)

n ≈ 2.57

Since we can't have a non-integer number of codons, we round up to the nearest integer and get:

n = 3

Therefore, the minimum number of bases in each codon on this planet would be 3.

So, the correct choice is B)3.

You Discover Alien Life with a Genetic System Based on a DNA-Like