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JEE Main levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 2 of 3bm145

The genetic code is read in groups of bases. There are 4 different bases and 20 amino acids to be coded. What is the smallest number of bases per codon that can specify at least 20 different amino acids, and how many codons does it give?

  1. A2 bases per codon, giving 16 codons
  2. B3 bases per codon, giving 12 codons
  3. C3 bases per codon, giving 64 codons
  4. D4 bases per codon, giving 64 codons

Answer: C

Codons of length give combinations. but . So a triplet is the minimum, giving 64 codons.
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