For protein synthesis (translation) the third base of the codon is less specific. True/False.

Answer

To determine whether the statement "For protein synthesis (translation) the third base of the codon is less specific" is true or false, we can analyze the role of codons in protein synthesis step by step.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Codons**:
- Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids during protein synthesis.
- Each codon is made up of three bases (nucleotides).

2. **Role of Codons in Translation**:
- During translation, ribosomes read the mRNA codons to synthesize proteins by linking amino acids together in the order specified by the codons.

3. **Specificity of Codon Bases**:
- The first two bases of a codon are generally more critical for determining which amino acid is incorporated into the growing polypeptide chain.
- The third base, however, is known to exhibit a degree of flexibility or "wobble". This means that variations in the third base often do not change the amino acid that is specified by the codon.

4. **Wobble Hypothesis**:
- The wobble hypothesis explains that the third base of a codon can be less specific because certain tRNA molecules can recognize multiple codons that code for the same amino acid.
- This allows for some redundancy in the genetic code, where different codons can code for the same amino acid.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Given that the third base of the codon is indeed less specific and can vary without affecting the amino acid being added to the protein, the statement is true.

### Final Answer:
**True.** The third base of the codon is less specific during protein synthesis (translation).