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Life’s building blocks in Bennu samples

The OSIRIS-REx mission returned a large sample from asteroid Bennu, which Japanese collaborators detected includes all five nucleobases required for life. The analysis revealed high concentrations of ammonia and nitrogen-rich organic matter.

SourceHokkaido University·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 29, 2025

Split gene-editing tool offers greater precision

Researchers create adenine base editor with 'on/off' switch, reducing off-target edits by over 70% and increasing accuracy of on-target edits. The tool has potential to correct nearly half of disease-causing point mutations in human genome.

SourceRice University·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 21, 2023

Metabolite in urine predicts diabetic kidney failure 5-10 years early; oral therapeutic drug shows promise in mice

Researchers found that urine levels of adenine are predictive and causative biomarkers of looming progressive kidney failure in patients with diabetes. An oral therapeutic drug showed promise in mice by reducing kidney adenine levels and protecting against diabetic kidney disease.

SourceUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio·JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation·TypeExperimental study·DateAug 24, 2023

DNA--Metal double helix

A team developed a novel approach to generate precisely controlled, helical palladium-DNA systems that mimic the organization of natural base pairs in double-stranded DNA molecules. The process is based on self-organized assembly of a special palladium complex and single-stranded DNA molecules.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie International Edition·DateMar 26, 2021

How did chemical constituents essential to life arise on primitive Earth?

A team of chemists at the University of Georgia has proposed a mechanism for how adenine, a key component of DNA, might be formed from five cyanide molecules under terrestrial conditions. The research suggests that simple molecules can combine chemically to form the building blocks of life, offering a new answer to an unsolved puzzle.

SourceUniversity of Georgia·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 30, 2007

Unraveling the physics of DNA's double helix

Researchers at Duke University have made direct measurements of DNA's forces within single strands that wind around each other to form the double helix. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals new insights into the stacking and pairing forces between base units.

SourceDuke University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateJul 12, 2007