It's a common storytelling trope: the stubborn foe who is eventually revealed to be a much-needed friend. Biology has its own ...

RNA’s Surprising Role in DNA Repair New insights could lead to improved treatments for cancer and other diseases. Francesca Storici and her research team discovered a surprising role for RNA in DNA ...

As antibiotic-resistant infections rise and are projected to cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, scientists are looking to bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, as an alternative.

Researchers have discovered how cells activate a last-resort DNA repair system when severe damage strikes. When genetic ...

Discover how a tiny RNA molecule serves as a molecular switch in viral infections, providing insights into phage biology.

Comparison of a single-stranded RNA and a double-stranded DNA with their corresponding nucleobases. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC SA 3.0) The most common type of base pairing is the Watson-Crick base ...

In an article published in Nature Microbiology, scientists reveal the existence of numerous new lineages of mirusviruses, ...

Francesca Storici consults at Tessera Therapeutics. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Your DNA is continually damaged by sources both ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. In 1957, just four years after Francis Crick and other scientists solved the riddle of ...