On May 27, 1961, Heinrich Matthaei, a postdoc working with NIH scientist Marshal Nirenberg, placed synthetic polyuracil RNA into 20 test tubes to see what it would produce. Each tube contained ...

The genetic code is a set of rules defining how the four-letter code of DNA is translated into the 20-letter code of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The genetic code is a set ...

This circular diagram represents the genetic code, showing how the four nucleotide bases of RNA (adenine [A], cytosine [C], guanine [G], and uracil [U]) form codons that specify amino acids. Each ...

Crack open a biology textbook and you will find a standard icon of molecular biology: the table summarizing the standard genetic code. This refers to the set of rules by which the cell "decodes" the ...

Orangutans, mice, and horses are covered with it, but humans aren't. Why we have significantly less body hair than most other mammals has long remained a mystery. But a first-of-its-kind comparison of ...

The genetic code, a universal blueprint for life, governs how DNA and RNA sequences translate into proteins. While its ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. James Joel via Flickr CC By ND 2.0 All of life on Earth speaks the ...

Two-faced codon rewrites genetics? The genetics of a marine protozoan may overturn one of the long-held tenets of protein synthesis. According to conventional wisdom, the genetic code is unambiguous: ...

Evolution settled on a genetic code that uses four letters to name 20 amino acids. Synthetic biologists adding new bases to DNA will be free to improve on nature — if they can. With recent innovations ...

New technology has a history of overwhelming existing systems that try to manage it, and that’s proving to be the case with genetic testing and health care. It’s been only 20 years since the ...