How did life begin on Earth? New experiments support 'RNA world' hypothesis

The new findings strengthen the "RNA world" hypothesis that describes how the first life on Earth could have used RNA instead ...
The New York Times

The Long-Overlooked Molecule That Will Define a Generation of Science

Dr. Cech is a biochemist and the author of the forthcoming book “The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets,” from which this essay is adapted. From E=mc² to splitting the atom ...
Scientific American

How RNA Unseated DNA as the Most Important Molecule in Your Body

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. In 1957, just four years after Francis Crick and other scientists solved the riddle of ...
Nanowerk

Purines - Key Components of DNA, RNA, and Cellular Metabolism

This image illustrates the chemical structure of a purine molecule, highlighting the numbering of the carbon and nitrogen atoms. The purine structure consists of a pyrimidine ring (positions 1 to 6) ...
Science News

Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact

Many writers grouse when an editor makes a change in a story, but the consequences of changing a single word usually aren’t that dire. Not so with genetic instructions for making proteins. Even a ...
The Conversation

RNA has newly identified role: Repairing serious DNA damage to maintain the genome

Francesca Storici consults at Tessera Therapeutics. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Your DNA is continually damaged by sources both ...