The Origin of Life on Earth: A Paradigm Shift
According to a new theory by LMU chemists led by Thomas Carell, it was a novel molecular species composed of RNA and peptides that set…
RNA
Nanotechnology Enables 3D Visualization of Crucial RNA Structures at Near-Atomic Resolution
Combination of nucleic acid nanotechnology and cryo-EM gives unprecedented insights into the structures of large and small RNAs, advancing RNA biology and drug design. We…
New Discovery Shows the Blueprint for Life May Have Been Generated in Asteroids
Using new analyses, scientists have just found the last two of the five informational units of DNA and RNA that had yet to be discovered…
5,500 New RNA Virus Species Discovered in the Ocean – Tracing the Origins of Viruses and the Origins of Life
Ocean Water Samples Yield Treasure Trove of RNA Virus Data Ocean water samples collected around the world have yielded a treasure trove of new data…
New Insight Into Possible Origins of Life: For the First Time Researchers Create an RNA Molecule That Replicates
Experiment sheds light on the molecular evolution of RNA. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have for the first time been able to create an…
Uncovering the Purpose of Mysterious mRNA Modifications
A team led by scientists at the University of Birmingham has come a step closer to uncovering the purpose of a distinctive set of modifications…
RNA Molecules Control Repair of Damaged Human DNA in Cancer Cells
A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows how certain RNA molecules control the repair of damaged DNA in cancer cells, a discovery that…
Silencing Tool Suppresses Gene Activity Across Generations
A gene-silencing tool could enable new opportunities for advancing basic biomedical research and drug development. The technique draws on the power of small noncoding RNA…
New Way To Administer Vaccines: A Pill That Injects RNA in the Stomach
Making RNA Vaccines Easier To Swallow A pill that releases RNA in the stomach could offer a new way to administer vaccines, or to deliver…
Research Team Finds New Species of Coronaviruses in Some Unexpected Places
A former UBC post-doctoral research fellow led an international research team in re-analyzing all public RNA sequencing data to uncover almost ten times more RNA…
RNA Discovery May Lead to Better Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer
In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified the presence of a specific connection between a protein and an lncRNA molecule in liver…
Yale Researchers Develop RNA-Based Therapy That Can Protect From Range of COVID-19 Variants
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered that an RNA molecule that stimulates the body’s early antiviral defense system can protect mice from a…
DNAzymes – How Active DNA Biocatalysts That Destroy Unwanted RNA Molecules Work
DNAzymes are precision biocatalysts that destroy unwanted RNA molecules. However, major obstacles to their use in medicine remain. Together with Jülich Research Centre (FZJ) and…
Scientists Develop a New Molecule That Blocks COVID-19 Infection
A research team at Aarhus University has developed a new molecule that attaches to the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. This attachment prevents the virus…
Why Eraser Enzymes Go Wrong and Lead to Cancer
Biochemist studies when enzymes in our cells go wrong and misbehave in human disease. University of Delaware researcher awarded NIH grant to study why eraser…
How Molecular Clusters in the Cell Nucleus Interact With Chromosomes
A new study finds the clusters form small, stable droplets and may give the genome a gel-like structure. A cell stores all of its genetic…
Taking New Aim at COVID-19: Treatments Against the Coronavirus’s Tangled Strands of RNA
Researchers are working on new ways to cure COVID-19 infections, using molecules that bind to three-dimensional folds in the virus’s genetic material. Credit: Martina Zafferani,…
Powerful New Tool Can Peer Into the Vast Genetic Library Inside of Your Cells
The human genome can be thought of as a massive library, containing over 20,000 different “instruction manuals”: your genes. For example, there are genes which…
