This model for day 181 of #LMB365 shows a molecule of RNA folded into a ribozyme – a specific 3D shape that can carry out reactions. This particular ribozyme builds other RNA molecules, and can even make a copy of itself. It was developed by scientists in Phil Holliger’s group in the PNAC division as part of an effort to reconstitute a self-sustaining system capable of Darwinian evolution, a top goal of synthetic biology. At this year’s Royal Society Summer Exhibition, LMB scientists will be presenting how such self-replicating molecules could have contributed to the origin of life https://www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/sites/recipe4life/
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
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