Educational objective: The genetic code is considered 'degener | USMLE Biochemistry Videos & Books

Educational objective: The genetic code is considered "degenerate" because more than 1 codon can code for a particular amino acid. Some of this degeneracy is explained by the wobble hypothesis, which states that the first 2 nucleotide positions on the mRNA codon require traditional (Watson-Crick) base pairing, whereas the third "wobble" nucleotide position may undergo less stringent (nontraditional) base pairing.