How organ functions were shaped over the course of evolution

A large-scale study conducted by molecular biologists from Heidelberg University has yielded groundbreaking new insights into the evolution and regulation of gene expression in mammalian organs. The scientists investigated ...

Study of ribosome evolution challenges 'RNA World' hypothesis

In the beginning – of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building workbench – there were ribonucleic acids, the molecules we call RNA that today perform a host of vital functions in cells. And according to a new analysis, ...

A hidden genetic code for better designer genes

Scientists routinely seek to reprogram bacteria to produce proteins for drugs, biofuels and more, but they have struggled to get those bugs to follow orders. But a hidden feature of the genetic code, it turns out, could get ...

Study offers insight into the origin of the genetic code

An analysis of enzymes that load amino acids onto transfer RNAs—an operation at the heart of protein translation—offers new insights into the evolutionary origins of the modern genetic code, researchers report. Their ...

Scientists solve a mystery in cellular 'droplet' organelles

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have solved a cellular mystery that may have important implications for fundamental biology and diseases like ALS. Their new research suggests that RNA may be the secret ...

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