Nanowerk

Cytosine in DNA and RNA: Functions, Modifications, and Applications

This image depicts the chemical structure of cytosine. It shows a hexagonal ring with nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3, and a primary amine group attached to carbon 4. The two remaining positions ...
Phys.org

Where did RNA come from? Origin-of-life scientists help to answer the question

In living organisms today, complex molecules like RNA and DNA are constructed with the help of enzymes. So how did these molecules form before life (and enzymes) existed? Why did some molecules end up ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...