Nucleic acids are complex biological molecules that store and transmit genetic information in all living organisms. They are essential for the survival and reproduction of life on Earth. The two main ...

In 1869, Swiss scientist Friedrich Miescher isolated a mysterious substance from cell nuclei—an overlooked finding that would ...

Researchers have discovered a plausible evolutionary setting in which nucleic acids – the fundamental genetic building blocks of life – could enable their own replication, possibly leading to life on ...

A research team has found that compounds in the nucleic acids derived from food can inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells. When people eat, they ingest the nucleic acids that reside in all living ...

"The importance of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) within living cells is undisputed" (Watson & Crick, 1953). This opening sentence of James Watson and Francis Crick's second major paper, published ...

Whether it is a microbe, a rose, or a dolphin, any form of life gets its building and operating instructions from the molecule of life, DNA. DNA comprises the genes and chromosomes that govern the ...

To obtain high-quality, purified nucleic acids, scientists can use several different methods, including phenol-chloroform extraction, cesium chloride/ethidium bromide (CsCl/EtBr) gradient ...

Synthetic nucleic acid analogues are known as xeno nucleic acids (XNAs), which is appropriate because “xeno” means “alien” or “strange.” To date, most XNAs have been just a little strange, containing ...

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 ...

When people eat, they ingest the nucleic acids that reside in all living things. The compounds in these acids could inhibit the growth of cancer cells, according to findings published in PLOS ONE by ...