Word: rna
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...coronaviruses from the civets weren't a precise match for the sars virus: they had 29 nucleotides, the building blocks of the viral RNA, that the human viruses lacked, making them only 99.8% similar. A 0.2% variance, however, could be enough to constitute a significant mutation. In addition, their S genes were different from those of the SARS virus; that gene contains the blueprint for the virus's distinctive spike protein, which interacts with the immune system of the host. Knowing the genetic differences in the two viruses could help scientists develop treatments...
Multiple strains would not be surprising. This bug's genetic code is based on RNA, a single-stranded molecule very similar to DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA has no built-in proofreading mechanism to fix mistakes in the replication process. Most of these don't amount to anything, but every once in a while an error may make the microbe more infectious. Beyond that, says Dr. Robert Webster, chief of virology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., "when a virus comes across to a new host, what does a virus do? It varies like crazy...
...places on earth where you can stare a newly accused mass-murder suspect right in the face. Researchers there are using a powerful transmission electron microscope to examine a virus that was unknown to science just a month ago. This minuscule particle of protein-encrusted RNA is almost certainly the microbe that had, by last Saturday, infected more than 2,400 people in 19 countries--including up to 115 in the U.S.--and killed at least 89 since it began its rampage through the human population in China last fall. Projected onto a green phosphorescent screen by a beam...
...pioneering accomplishments in his field. He was known for his work in animal cell culture, bacterial metabolism and virology, specializing in cell metabolism. In 1958 he discovered that a compound, found in the carrier of genetic information—DNA—is also present in ribonucleic acid, or RNA...
Unlocking the mystery of the DNA molecule opened the doors to understanding some but not all secrets of life. One of the remaining mysteries is how some scientists readily recognize the inherent complexity in the structure and function of DNA and RNA yet still believe all of life came about from chaos by mere chance. Though the probability of that happening is outrageously remote, we scientists who choose to believe in the God of Creation are frequently ridiculed. PHILLIP A. NICKEL, PH.D. Grants Pass...