1. Main criteria for a molecule to act as genetic material:
- Able to generate replica
- Chemically and structurally stable
- Provide scope for slow mutation, required for evolution.
- Able to express itself in the form of ‘Mendelian characters’.
2. RNA, being catalytic, is chemically more reactive and less stable than DNA. Therefore DNA is a better genetic material as it is less reactive and structurally more stable.
3. RNA is unstable than DNA, so mutate at a faster rate. Viruses having RNA genome, with shorter life span mutate and evolve faster.