DNA and RNA are the molecular blueprints of life, each with unique structures and roles. DNA’s double-helix stability makes it ideal for long-term genetic storage, while RNA’s versatility powers ...

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 ...

The enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out transcription, copying DNA into RNA. It's the first step in gene expression, and ...

Live-cell breakthrough: Munich scientists created a method to repeatedly read genetic activity from living cells, enabling long-term study without cell destruction. CRISPR reimagined: Hong Kong ...

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. See more of our coverage in your ...