Researchers at Iowa State University have created a publicly accessible database detailing the molecular structures of ribonucleic acids (RNAs) encoded in the human genome. Unlike DNA, RNA can fold into intricate shapes to perform biological functions and by better understanding these shapes, researchers can potentially develop new medical therapies that target RNA. Scientists normally have to perform complex calculations to determine how RNAs fold, but now this database makes it easy for researchers to quickly identify RNA structures for the entire human genome.
Image: Mstroeck.
