Ask a friend what DNA is and, chances are, they have a general idea. Seventy years after scientists discovered the two-stranded helix, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is widely understood as the keeper of ...

This image illustrates the process of gene transcription within a cell. The DNA double helix unwinds to expose a specific sequence, allowing RNA polymerase to synthesize a complementary pre-mRNA ...

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 ...

One of the greatest mysteries of our planet is how a soup of lifeless chemicals transformed into the first living cell. There are several competing theories about where this happened, from frozen ...

Biologists have discovered a new type of RNA-splicing regulation that helps to determine which protein-coding exons will be included in messenger RNA transcripts. RNA splicing is a cellular process ...

How does a cell know when it’s been damaged? A molecular alarm, set off by mutated RNA and colliding ribosomes, signals danger. When the sun shines on your skin, what does it hit? When it causes a ...