Frederick Griffin Demonstrated That the Pneumonia-Causing Characteristics of the Smooth

Multiple Choice

Frederick Griffin demonstrated that the pneumonia-causing characteristics of the smooth bacteria were somehow transferred to the harmless rough bacteria in mice. These characteristics continued to appear in subsequent generations of the previously harmless rough bacteria. What did this show about the mechanism behind the change?

A) It was a highly stable mechanism, so it didn't change again over time.
B) The mechanism couldn't go in reverse (i.e., the bacteria couldn't become harmless once they were changed) .
C) The mechanism was involved in heredity so the change was passed on.
D) This result didn't make any sense, so it doesn't say anything about the mechanism.
E) The smooth bacteria have a much stronger infecting mechanism than the rough do.