Erwin Chargaff

Erwin Chargaff was a scientist who discovered important rules about DNA, the molecule carrying genetic information. He found that in any DNA sample, the amount of adenine (A) always equals the amount of thymine (T), and the amount of cytosine (C) always equals the amount of guanine (G). These pairing rules helped scientists understand how DNA is structured, specifically that A pairs with T and C pairs with G, forming the steps of the DNA double helix. Chargaff’s work was crucial in uncovering the physical basis of genetic information.