Discoveries of new RNA species continue apace, presenting the noncoding RNA field with a growing question: what do these molecules do? The functions and molecular interactions of RNA often depend on ...

Charles Darwin described evolution as "descent with modification." Genetic information in the form of DNA sequences is copied and passed down from one generation to the next. But this process must ...

The process starts with a “primer”, a short fragment of RNA (or DNA) that matches a strand of RNA (or DNA). In order to make a new strand from the existing strand, the primer needs to be extended. To ...

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

The idea that life’s deepest, oldest roots were laid down by RNA molecules that evolved ever more complexity has dominated the origins-of-life field for the past few decades, reigning over competing ...

Nucleic acids are essential for all forms of life, and it is found in all cells. Nucleic acids come in two natural forms called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Image Credit: ...

For decades, scientists have been intrigued by tiny viruses whose genetic material can be read both forward and backward. New research begins to explain this puzzling property. In 1971, ...

As CRISPR gene editing marches closer to the clinic, several researchers have been tinkering to unleash the DNA editor on another nucleic acid: RNA, the intermediary messenger between DNA and proteins ...

CRISPR is a versatile tool for editing genomes and has recently been approved as a gene therapy treatment for certain blood disorders. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, USA, report a modification wherein replacing the RNA strand of a heteroduplex oligonucleotide with DNA may ...

A new study has found a connection between special patterns in RNA sequences within the ribosome -- the cell's protein production machinery -- and genes known to contribute towards psychiatric ...