Science: Genetic Rosetta Stone

The nuclei of reproductive cells are mere blobs of protoplasm, apparently much alike. But each of them contains a genetic "instruction code" that tells it how to develop into a particular sort of creature, ranging from a bacterium to a man. In the case of higher animals, the cell's instructions are carried by long, coiled-up molecules of DXA (deoxyribonucleic acid). In the instance of some viruses, which are the simplest of organisms, the code is found in RNA (ribonucleic acid), which is less complicated.

Knowledge of RNA may lead to understanding of DNA—and few...

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