Independent Functions of Viral Protein and Nucleic Acid in Growth of Bacteriophage
1952
A 1952 paper on bacteriophage, the viruses said to infect bacteria. Hershey and Chase tagged one batch with radioactive sulfur and another with radioactive phosphorus, let them infect bacteria, sheared the mix in a blender, and spun it down. Most sulfur stayed in the liquid and most phosphorus went with the cells, and they concluded that nucleic acid enters the cell while the protein coat stays outside.