The genetic codon is a triplet and there are 64 codons. How many codons would be possible if the codon is a doublet?
The genetic codon is a triplet and there are 64 codons. How many codons would be possible if the codon is a doublet?
Select an option to attempt
Correct Answer: Option D
Explanation
The genetic code uses triplet codons:possible codons from 4 bases. If instead codons were doublets:possible codons. This illustrates why a minimum triplet code was evolutionarily necessary — 16 doublet codons could not encode all 20 amino acids plus stop signals. The triplet code providescodons for 20 amino acids and 3 stop codons, resulting in degeneracy (redundancy) — multiple codons can encode the same amino acid (e.g. Leu has 6 codons, Trp has only 1).