Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
RNA
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
transcription and translation
Know about CRISPR Cas9 technology in gene editing and its application in human therapeutics to agriculture
Learn about CRISPR technology and how it can transform medicine and society
For Students
RNA summary
Read Next
DNA strands on blue background
What Is the Difference Between DNA and RNA?
Discover
Salem Witch Trials. Photogravure after the painting by Walter McEwen titled - The Witches - circa 1890s.
How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials
San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality
How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?
Car with a pickle design in the Zagreb Red Bull Soapbox Race, Zagreb, Croatia, September 14, 2019. (games, races, sports)
10 Unusual Sports
Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan
6 Animals That Eat Their Mates
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Wasp spider. Argiope bruennichi. Orb-weaver spider. Spiders. Arachnid. Cobweb. Spider web. Spider's web. Spider silk. Black and yellow striped wasp spider spinning a web.
Do We Really Swallow Spiders in Our Sleep?

RNA: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/RNA

News •

RNA steps up to protect the genome from DNA knots • June 13, 2025, 5:33 PM ET (News-Medical)
New CRISPR tool enables precise chemical modification of RNA in living cells • June 12, 2025, 5:22 AM ET (News-Medical)
Faulty RNA 'tails' may drive neuron failure in ALS, study suggests • June 5, 2025, 1:17 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
Novel truncated RNAs from jumping DNA encode reverse transcriptases in aging human brain • June 5, 2025, 12:28 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
Scientists reveal how RNA could have replicated on early earth • May 28, 2025, 8:08 AM ET (News-Medical)

Facts

Also Known As ribonucleic acid

Photos and Videos

transcription and translation
Know about CRISPR Cas9 technology in gene editing and its application in human therapeutics to agriculture
Learn about CRISPR technology and how it can transform medicine and society
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

English-born American biochemist and geneticist Jack W. Szostak.
Jack W. Szostak
American biochemist and geneticist
American scientist Craig C. Mello
Craig C. Mello
American geneticist
Israeli protein crystallographer Ada Yonath.
Ada Yonath
Israeli biochemist
Venki Ramakrishnan
Indian-born physicist and molecular biologist
Sidney Altman
Sidney Altman
Canadian-American scientist
Thomas Robert Cech
American scientist
Thomas Steitz
American biophysicist and biochemist
American scientist Craig C. Mello
Andrew Z. Fire
American geneticist
Severo Ochoa, 1959.
Severo Ochoa
Spanish-American biochemist
Roger D. Kornberg
American chemist