A new study could explain why DNA and not RNA, its older chemical cousin, is the main repository of genetic information. The DNA double helix is a more forgiving molecule that can contort itself into different shapes to absorb chemical damage to the basic building blocks — A, G, C and T — of genetic code. In contrast, when RNA is in the form of a double helix it is so rigid and unyielding that rather than accommodating damaged bases, it falls apart completely.
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“For something as fundamental as the double helix, it is amazing that we are discovering these basic properties so late in the game,” said Al-Hashimi. “We need to continue to zoom in to obtain a deeper understanding regarding these basic molecules of life.” More. Paper. (paywall) – Huiqing Zhou, Isaac J Kimsey, Evgenia N Nikolova, Bharathwaj Sathyamoorthy, Gianmarc Grazioli, James McSally, Tianyu Bai, Christoph H Wunderlich, Christoph Kreutz, Ioan Andricioaei, Hashim M Al-Hashimi. m1A and m1G disrupt A-RNA structure through the intrinsic instability of Hoogsteen base pairs. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2016; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3270
Jussanotheraccident, right?
It’s getting to the point where useful science knowledge will cease unless the role of information as a real feature of the universe is acknowledged. It’ll all just be Perceptronium Man and New Scientist astounding us with nonsense like: Information is physical. That sells and what else matters.
See also: Data basic
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