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 ...

People are still debating whether the mRNA from COVID-19 vaccines remains in the body longer than it should. Some say it ...

While you’re probably pretty familiar with DNA, it’s likely that RNA only made it onto your radar during the pandemic, thanks to Covid-19 vaccines such as the ones from Moderna and Pfizer. DNA is “the ...

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 ...

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 ...

DNA is the darling of the high-tech detective world, whether it’s used to solve murders or track what animals are nearby. But what about it’s less famous relative, RNA? It turns out, this type of ...

Many writers grouse when an editor makes a change in a story, but the consequences of changing a single word usually aren’t that dire. Not so with genetic instructions for making proteins. Even a ...

Francesca Storici consults at Tessera Therapeutics. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Your DNA is continually damaged by sources both ...