The Joyce Laboratory

The Immortal Molecule
By Mark Schrope

Vol 9. Issue 1 / January 12, 2009

One of the most enduring questions is how life could have begun on Earth. Molecules that can make copies of themselves are thought to be crucial to understanding this process as they provide the basis for heritability, a critical characteristic of living systems. Now, a pair of Scripps Research Institute scientists has taken a significant step toward answering that question. The scientists have synthesized for the first time RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves without the help of any proteins or other cellular components, and the process proceeds indefinitely.  "This is the only case outside biology where molecular information has been immortalized," says Professor Gerald Joyce (right), who conducted the research with Kellogg School graduate student Tracey Lincoln. Full article

Scientists Develop General-Purpose Method for Detecting Trace Chemicals
By Jason Socrates Bardi

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a method of sensitively detecting specific chemicals in the laboratory – a discovery that may lead to a host of new ways to monitor a variety of chemicals in nature. Described in an advance, online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology on February 22, 2009, the team’s general method could be adapted for detecting a wide variety of compounds, including many that are relevant to diagnostic medicine and environmental work. Full article