Premature termination of transcription influences ribosomal RNA output and RNA polymerase I drug sensitivity, revealing a mechanism of resistance to transcription-targeting chemotherapy.

Ribosomal subunit assembly and biogenesis constitute a fundamental process vital for cellular protein synthesis across all domains of life. This complex, multi-step pathway involves the transcription ...

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a type of molecule and a key building block of the ribosome, the cell's protein-making machinery. rRNA accounts for much of the RNA in a cell, and it's crucial for life. It's ...

The ribosome is a fundamental cellular machine responsible for protein synthesis. Its complex structure, comprising distinct functional centres such as the peptidyl transferase centre (PTC) and the ...

Ribosomes are the cell's protein factories, which read the genetic code and assemble the proteins that every organism needs to live. But as far as how ribosomes themselves were formed, tantalizingly ...

The discovery of catalytic RNA transformed our understanding of life's beginnings. Clare Sansom explores how the RNA world hypothesis bridges the gap between non-living chemistry and the first cells ...

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences uncovered a new tumor-suppressive response that could lead to novel ...

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 ...

Oceans churned with lava. Air filled thick with smoke. Asteroids stormed down incessantly. Life during the Hadean Eon four billion years ago was a struggle, and yet that was when it began. 1,2 With no ...

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 ...