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Multiple Choice
In the context of genetic coding, how many different codons are there in the genetic code?
A
32
B
20
C
61
D
64
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that a codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in DNA or RNA that corresponds to a specific amino acid or stop signal during protein synthesis.
Recognize that there are four different nucleotide bases in RNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U).
Calculate the number of possible combinations for a sequence of three nucleotides. Since each position in the codon can be occupied by any of the four bases, use the formula: .
Perform the calculation: which equals 64, representing the total number of different codons possible.
Note that while there are 64 possible codons, only 61 code for amino acids, and the remaining 3 are stop codons, which signal the termination of protein synthesis.