Ribonucleic acid: key coder, regulator and messenger in life
Norfolk Island’s coral reefs are facing widespread disease linked to sediment, cattle manure, wastewater and fertilizer runoff. Scientists warn a longer El Niño could raise water temperatures, triggering bleaching and reef loss. Kingston Pier dredging plans add to the threat as regulators issue environment approvals.
Researchers report a lab-made, membrane-bound system called SpudCell that can feed, grow, replicate genetic material, and divide. The work demonstrates a complete cell-like cycle in a synthetic chassis, using viral components for replication and translation, and points toward future modular engineering while acknowledging remaining challenges.
Researchers have detected erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in the interstellar medium near the Milky Way’s center. The finding supports theories that sugars essential to life could form in space and arrive on Earth via comets and asteroids. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that millions of tonnes of erythrulose may have rained down on Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment.