The genetic code is the recipe for life, and provides the instructions for how to make proteins, generally using just 20 amino acids. But certain groups of microbes have an expanded genetic code, in ...

A new study reveals all five fundamental nucleobases—the molecular "letters" of life—have been detected in samples from the asteroid Ryugu. Asteroid particles offer a glimpse into the chemical ...

I wonder if the pre-LUCA ribosome itself might have been radically different before we fixed on 20 amino acids? Obviously the protein scaffolding would be different, but also it could afford to be a ...