True or false: Hershey and Chase determined that DNA contains nitrogen, while proteins do not.

The statement is false. Hershey and Chase conducted their famous experiment in 1952 that helped to establish DNA as the genetic material. Their research involved labeling DNA with radioactive phosphorus and proteins with radioactive sulfur in bacteriophages. The results showed that only the viral DNA entered the bacterial cells and was sufficient for producing new viruses, indicating that DNA carries genetic information.

While it is true that DNA contains nitrogen as part of its nucleotide structure (specifically in the nitrogenous bases), proteins also contain nitrogen. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which contain an amino group (-NH2) that includes nitrogen. Therefore, stating that proteins do not contain nitrogen is incorrect, and thus the claim is false.