DNA is the backbone of the genetic code so, logically, decoding and understanding the genetic sequence along with epigenetic modifications came first. Yet, RNA and the emerging field of ...

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 ...

Did you know that many of us have up to 4% neanderthal DNA? Did you know that many of us have up to 4% neanderthal DNA? And that 100% of your DNA may come from outer space? No joke. The biochemistry ...

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic eye disorder affecting around one in 5,000 people worldwide. It typically begins with ...

Researchers at Utah State University have reported a previously unrecognised CRISPR immune response in which a bacterial ...

Researchers say discoveries could expand the CRISPR toolbox and lead to more efficient, rapid diagnostic tools for detecting COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.

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 ...

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 ...