Sublime

While the nucleotides in RNA and DNA contain the information necessary for life, the amino acids that they tell our bodies to produce are life itself. They form the basic structures of proteins that come together to make up not just viruses but all life on earth, including human beings. All that complexity comes from combinations of just twenty dif

He compared a chromosome to one of those old audio cassettes we used before new technologies banished them to the museum, with DNA the tape inside the cassette and genes the songs on the tape.

“Deoxyribonucleic acid,” I say. “It’s a molecular blueprint for all living things and it’s composed of nucleotides.” He squints at me, unsure of what to think. “Which are?” “Molecules.” I say. “And yeah, I know that a molecule is a bunch of atoms stuck together. DNA is a four-letter code. A. T. G. and C. Adenine, thymine, guanine, and cy…cy…” “Cyto

the end of each Tetrahymena minichromosome, Liz discovered something very strange: a short six-letter sequence repeated many times. One strand had repeats of CCCCAA,