Despite being made from a relatively simple set of building blocks, ribonucleic acid (RNA) has a broad array of complex responsibilities. From providing structure to carrying the instructions for ...

A new method developed at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions allows researchers to better understand how RNA works. The method is a powerful strategy for identifying intricate ...

Two separate laboratory breakthroughs have produced RNA molecules that can build copies of themselves or assemble functional structures without any help from proteins or DNA. These results offer the ...

According to the RNA world hypothesis, life began when RNA molecules evolved the ability to make more copies of themselves. Now we have discovered an RNA molecule that is almost capable of this – it ...

On the left are three forms of the same RNA molecule, which is stabilised into a single form (on the right) by mitoxantrone. Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) serve as messengers between DNA and protein ...

There are plenty of unanswered questions about the origin of life on Earth. But the research community has largely reached consensus that one of the key steps was the emergence of an RNA molecule that ...