A primer on RNA, perhaps the most consequential molecule of all
“The Catalyst” looks at RNA’s role in life’s origins as well as its medical uses
What you see depends on how you look. For years students of cell biology were taught that a molecule called RNA was but a humble minion assisting its glamorous cousins, DNA and proteins. DNA acted as the library of all knowledge about how to build an organism and proteins the means by which that organism was built. RNA, by contrast, was seen as a messenger boy, carrying copies of DNA’s blueprints to the cellular workshops where proteins were forged; a porter, toting the amino-acid links of protein chains to those workshops for assembly; and a part of the fabric of the workshops themselves.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “A mighty molecule”
Culture August 3rd 2024
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