Life from an RNA World
Life from an RNA World

Author: Michael Yarus

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780674050754

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A majority of evolutionary biologists believe that we now can envision our biological predecessors--not the first, but nearly the first, living beings on Earth. This book is about these vanished forebears. The era between the first rudimentary life on Earth and the appearance of more complex beings is called the RNA world. It is RNA (ribonucleic acid) long believed to be a mere biologic copier and messenger, that offers a glimpse into our ancient predecessors. To describe early RNA creatures, here called "ribocytes" or RNA cells, the author uses basics of molecular biology. He reviews our current understanding of the tree of life, examines the structure of RNA itself, explains the operation of the genetic code, and more. Courting controversy among those who question the role of ribocytes -- citing the chemical fragility of RNA and the uncertainty about the origin of an RNA synthetic apparatus -- he offers a vision of early life on Earth.

Opening Doors
Opening Doors

Author: Laura L. Mays Hoopes

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 9780359413966

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A dual biography of Joan Steitz and Jennifer Doudna, two women who combined successful home lives with successful careers in science.

RNA
RNA

Author: James E. Darnell

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781936113194

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RNA molecules could function as catalysts. --

The RNA World
The RNA World

Author: Raymond F. Gesteland

Publisher: CSHL Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 774

ISBN-13: 0879697393

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Recent studies on the activities of RNA in the cell have revolutionized our understanding of the many roles played by this molecule. The first two editions of The RNA World(1993, 1999) shed light on the pre–biotic era dominated by this versatile molecule, and provided an overview of the state of RNA research at the time. The new third edition of The RNA Worldupdates this perspective, describing the vast array of newly discovered roles for RNA in the modern world. The updated original chapters are supplemented with new chapters on RNA–protein complexes, snRNPs and snoRNPs, telomerase RNA, RNAi, microRNAs, noncoding RNA, and many other subjects. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the biology of nucleic acids and gene regulation and a valuable resource for teaching these concepts.

RNA
RNA

Author: D. Söll

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2001-12-03

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 0080540627

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This publication summarizes the current status of our understanding of RNA, with particular emphasis on the chemistry of this key biological molecule. The various RNAs covered are messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA and RNA enzymes (ribozymes). The different chapters detail biophysical and chemical methods to investigate RNA structure and function, the synthesis of native and modified RNAs and the latest advances in our understanding of the vast array of biological processes in which RNA is involved.

The Organic Codes
The Organic Codes

Author: Marcello Barbieri

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780521531009

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The genetic code appeared on Earth with the first cells. The codes of cultural evolution arrived almost four billion years later. These are the only codes that are recognized by modern biology. In this book, however, Marcello Barbieri explains that there are many more organic codes in nature, and their appearance not only took place throughout the history of life but marked the major steps of that history. A code establishes a correspondence between two independent 'worlds', and the codemaker is a third party between those 'worlds'. Therefore the cell can be thought of as a trinity of genotype, phenotype and ribotype. The ancestral ribotypes were the agents which gave rise to the first cells. The book goes on to explain how organic codes and organic memories can be used to shed new light on the problems encountered in cell signalling, epigenesis, embryonic development, and the evolution of language.