What is the primary role of the ribosome in translation?

The primary role of the ribosome in translation is to assemble amino acids into proteins. Ribosomes are complex molecular machines found within all living cells, and they play a crucial role in the process of translation, where messenger RNA (mRNA) is decoded to produce a polypeptide chain, which ultimately folds into a functional protein.

During translation, ribosomes read the sequence of codons in the mRNA and facilitate the binding of transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules that carry specific amino acids. Each tRNA has an anticodon that matches a particular codon in the mRNA, ensuring that the correct amino acids are added in the proper sequence. As the ribosome moves along the mRNA strand, it catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids, linking them together to form a growing protein chain.

This process is fundamental in biology because proteins are essential for virtually all cellular functions, ranging from structure to enzyme activity. The assembly of amino acids into proteins is the critical step that the ribosome performs during translation, making this option the correct answer.