RNA hit prime time during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the average American waiting in line for their shot knew that the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were made using mRNA. But while RNA ...

Oceans churned with lava. Air filled thick with smoke. Asteroids stormed down incessantly. Life during the Hadean Eon four billion years ago was a struggle, and yet that was when it began. 1,2 With no ...

When RNA molecules are synthesized by cells — a critical process in the creation of proteins and other cellular functions — they typically undergo a series of “folding” events that determine their ...

The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets. Thomas Cech. W.W. Norton; 304 pages; $28.99 and £23.99 All this is the subject of Thomas Cech’s new book, “The Catalyst”. The author ...

Ask a friend what DNA is and, chances are, they have a general idea. Seventy years after scientists discovered the two-stranded helix, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is widely understood as the keeper of ...

Marlene Belfort does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. For a molecule of RNA, the world is a dangerous place. Unlike DNA, which can persist for millions of years in its remarkably stable, ...

In 2018, the RNA Society endorsed Aug. 1 as annual World RNA Day, and depending on when you’re reading this article, the anniversary of that day is either upon you now or has likely passed you by ...

University of Delaware’s Mona Batish is a molecular biologist. She studies circular RNAs formed as a result of so-called molecular mistakes that occur when a strand of RNA — the ribonucleic acid that ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Nucleic acids are becoming increasingly popular for assembling nanoscale structures, thanks to their programmable dimensionality and direct applications in the biological field.