Could the discovery of a tiny RNA molecule explain the origins of life?

One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen ...
Yahoo

RNA-engineered proteins may explain the birth of life on Earth

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A new study uncovers how amino acids could have linked with RNA under early Earth conditions, shedding light on the origin of life ...

Giant DNA viruses encode their own eukaryote-like translation machinery, researchers discover

In a new study, published in Cell, researchers describe a newfound mechanism for creating proteins in a giant DNA virus, ...

RNA is key to the dark matter of the genome − scientists are sequencing it to illuminate human health and disease

Researchers are embarking on the RNA equivalent of the Human Genome Project, including sequencing all the chemical ...

A yeast enzyme helps human cells overcome mitochondrial defects

Nucleotide synthesis—the production of the basic components of DNA and RNA—is essential for cell growth and division. In most ...
Nanowerk

Base Pair: The Building Blocks of DNA and RNA

Comparison of a single-stranded RNA and a double-stranded DNA with their corresponding nucleobases. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC SA 3.0) The most common type of base pairing is the Watson-Crick base ...
Technology Networks

Yeast Enzyme Enables DNA Synthesis Without Mitochondrial Respiration

Researchers introduced a yeast enzyme, ScURA, into human cells, enabling nucleotide synthesis independent of mitochondrial ...
Science Daily

Textbooks need to be rewritten: RNA, not DNA, is the main cause of acute sunburn

Sunburn has traditionally been attributed to UV-induced DNA damage. However, a new study reveals that RNA, another vital cellular molecule, plays a major role in triggering acute sunburn reactions.