Background During the last few decades, progress has been made in manipulating the
architecture of synthetic polymer materials. However, the primary structure—that is, the …

Real-time PCR is the method of choice in many laboratories for diagnostic and food
applications. This technology merges the polymerase chain reaction chemistry with the use …

The lack of pyrimidine diversity in meteorites remains a mystery since prebiotic chemical
models and laboratory experiments have predicted that these compounds can also be …

The origin of life is a fascinating, unresolved problem whose deciphering would have
important scientific, epistemological and social implications. Over time, philosophers and …

Over 500 natural and synthetic amino acids have been genetically encoded in the last two
decades. Incorporating these noncanonical amino acids into proteins enables many …

During evolution, there have been several major changes in the way that genetic information
is organized and transmitted from one generation to the next. These transitions include the …

The choice of biosensing elements is crucial for the development of the optimal biosensor.
Three of the most versatile biosensing elements are antibody single-chain Fv fragments …

Recent advancements in the creation of artificial extra base pairs (unnatural base pairs,
UBPs) are opening the door to a new research area, xenobiology, and genetic alphabet …

Antibodies, the most popular class of molecules providing molecular recognition needs for a
wide range of applications, have been around for more than three decades. As a result …

When Szent-Györgyi called water the “matrix of life”, 1 he was echoing an old sentiment.
Paracelsus in the 16th century said that “water was the matrix of the world and of all its …