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  • The nucleic acids, as constituents of living organisms, are comparable In importance to proteins. There is evidence that they are Involved In the processes of cell division and growth, that they participate In the transmission of hereditary characters, and that they are important constituents of viruses. An understanding of the molecular structure of the nucleic acids should be of value In the effort to understand the fundamental phenomena of life.

    Linus Pauling, Barclay Kamb (2001). “Linus Pauling: Biomolecular sciences”, p.1123, World Scientific