Question
The Marmur–Doty formula enables back-of-the-envelope estimation of this quantity as "four GC plus two AT." For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this temperature, greater than the annealing temperature, at which a dsDNA molecule denatures.
ANSWER: melting temperature [or melting point; or melting temp; or T-sub-m]
[10e] A thermocycler decreases the temperature to below the melting temperature for the "elongation" stage of this technique for amplifying nucleic acids, which is used in many COVID tests.
ANSWER: PCR [or polymerase chain reaction]
[10h] The melting temperature of qPCR's TaqMan probe is increased by the fusion of a minor groove binder to a peptide with this role at the probe's 3-prime end. Molecules with this role decrease fluorescence, like chloride ions for quinine.
ANSWER: chemical quencher [accept word forms like quenching; accept non-fluorescent quencher; prompt on NFQ]
<Science - Chemistry>
Data
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Exact Match? | Heard | PPB | Easy % | Medium % | Hard % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 PACE NSC | 06/07/2025 | Y | 42 | 11.67 | 98% | 7% | 12% |