Question

A scientist has discovered that there is a correlation between people who are ill with a certain pathogen and migraines. The scientist does not know if the illness is caused by a bacteria cell or virus. To quickly find out, the scientist can —
Responses

see if the pathogen mutates rapidly
see if the pathogen mutates rapidly

try to grow the pathogen outside the body
try to grow the pathogen outside the body

examine the patient to determine the length of time the person has been ill
examine the patient to determine the length of time the person has been ill

examine the pathogen to determine if it contains a genetic code

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To quickly determine whether the illness is caused by a bacterial cell or a virus, the scientist can:

**examine the pathogen to determine if it contains a genetic code.**

This is because viruses contain nucleic acids (either DNA or RNA) as their genetic material, while bacteria are living cells that also contain DNA but are structured differently and replicate through cell division. By examining the pathogen's genetic material, the scientist can identify whether it is a virus or a bacterium.