RNA at the heart of most effective COVID-19 vaccine
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
catalyst
Thomas R. Cech (WW Norton)
For 50 years, RNA has been DNA’s underappreciated sibling, but now it’s stepping into the spotlight: This multifaceted molecule, similar to DNA but capable of morphing into many shapes beyond the double helix, has yielded the most effective COVID-19 vaccines and is key to one of the most powerful techniques in experimental biology: CRISPR gene editing.
But few people have a deep understanding of this molecule and why it has suddenly become so important.
