Altmann was studying the chemical composition of cell nuclei and observed that certain substances, which he initially called "nuclein", were acidic in nature. He later refined the term to "nucleic acids" to reflect their acidic properties and their location within the nucleus of the cell.
However, it's worth noting that Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss physician and biochemist, had already discovered and isolated nucleic acids in 1869, which he named "nuclein". However, Miescher did not fully understand the nature or significance of these substances.
So, while Miescher discovered nucleic acids, Altmann was the one who coined the term that we still use today.
