Annie Melchor – Quanta Magazine

Cells Across the Tree of Life Exchange ‘Text Messages’ Using RNA

Annie Melchor — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:10:47 +0000

For a molecule of RNA, the world is a dangerous place. Unlike DNA, which can persist for millions of years in its remarkably stable, double-stranded form, RNA isn’t built to last — not even within the cell that made it. Unless it’s protectively tethered to a larger molecule, RNA can degrade in minutes or less. And outside a cell? Forget about it. Voracious, RNA-destroying enzymes are everywhere...

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During Pregnancy, a Fake ‘Infection’ Protects the Fetus

Annie Melchor — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 15:03:10 +0000

When you were a child, it seemed like an ingenious plan: Splash hot water on your face and stagger into the kitchen, letting out a moan that could make angels cry. One touch of your flushed forehead would convince your parents to diagnose a fever and keep you home from school. No matter how elaborately planned and performed, these theatrics probably weren’t as persuasive as you had hoped.

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Bacteria’s Immune Sensors Reveal a Novel Way to Detect Viruses

Annie Melchor — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:35:05 +0000

“All of the life forms on Earth have the same problem,” said Jonathan Kagan, an immunology researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital. “And that is dealing with infection.” Just as we worry about bacterial infections, bacteria are on the watch for the viruses called phages that infect them, and — like every organism across every kingdom of life — they have evolved an arsenal of molecular tools to...

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