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Life’s First Peptides May Have Grown on RNA Strands

May 24, 2022

RNA and peptides coevolving in the primordial world might have jointly served as a precursor to the modern ribosome.

Simple Gene Circuits Hint at How Stem Cells Find New Identities

May 19, 2022

Synthetic biology experiments suggest a “MultiFate” model for how genetically identical cells become the many different types found in complex organisms like us.

Why ‘De-Extinction’ Is Impossible (But Could Work Anyway)

May 9, 2022

Several projects are aiming to bring back mammoths and other species that have vanished from the planet. Whether that’s technically possible is beside the point.

In Test Tubes, RNA Molecules Evolve Into a Tiny Ecosystem

May 5, 2022

When researchers gave a genetic molecule the ability to replicate, it evolved over time into a complex network of “hosts” and “parasites” that both competed and cooperated to survive.

What Happens When We Give Animals Our Diseases?

April 27, 2022

While it’s understandable to focus on the diseases affecting humans, it’s important to study how our illnesses may affect animals.

Ancient Genes for Symbiosis Hint at Mitochondria’s Origins

April 26, 2022

Was the addition of mitochondria a first step in the formation of complex cells or one of the last? A new study of bacteria tries to answer this contentious question in evolutionary biology.

Why Is Inflammation a Dangerous Necessity?

April 20, 2022

The immune system protects us from a full spectrum of pathogens, but without balance, it can end up hurting us over time, too. The immunologist Shruti Naik explains how our defenses can turn on us.

In Sexy Worms, Inheritance Beyond Genes Can Help Evolution

April 19, 2022

Traits from RNA molecules passed between multiple generations of worms can work with genetic changes to influence future evolution.

Life With Longer Genetic Codes Seems Possible — but Less Likely

April 11, 2022

Life could use a more expansive genetic code in theory, but new work shows that improving on three-letter codons would be a challenge.

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