The most effective covid‑19 vaccines had RNA at their heart
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
The Catalyst
Thomas R. Cech (W. W. Norton)
For 50 years, RNA was DNA’s undervalued sibling, but now it has jumped into the spotlight. This multifaceted molecule – which resembles DNA but can morph into a variety of shapes other than a double helix – brought us the most effective covid-19 vaccines and is key to CRISPR gene editing, one of the most powerful technologies in experimental biology.
Yet few of us have an in-depth understanding of the molecule and why it has suddenly become so important for…
