The experiments included the use of radioactive phosphate as a tracer to determine which molecular components of phage particles actually infect the target bacteria during viral infection .
The experiments watson had learned of during the previous summer 's Cold Spring Harbor phage conference .
The experiments , which Watson had learned of during the previous summer 's Cold Spring Harbor phage conference , included the use of radioactive phosphate as a tracer to determine which molecular components of phage particles actually infect the target bacteria during viral infection .