When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. An organic compound called formamide could have acted in place of water as a solvent (meaning it ...

Recent high-sensitivity observations carried out with ALMA have revealed the presence of complex organic molecules (COMs) such as methyl cyanide (CH3CN) and methanol (CH3OH) in relatively evolved ...

When trying to understand the origins of life on Earth, researchers run into a paradox: while water is an indispensable solvent for all known life forms that exist today, water also inhibits the ...

Low-dimensional carbon materials (LDCs), including graphene and carbon nanotubes, have attracted considerable attention due to their unique morphologies and intriguing electrical properties. However, ...

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs are a class of therapeutic agents that silence specific genes associated with inherited diseases. However, siRNA drugs have challenges because siRNAs often silence ...

Radiation-blasted meteors may serve as the universe’s cosmic crockpots, slowly cooking ingredients needed to spark life, scientists say in a new study. One of the most ubiquitous substances in the ...

The molecules that kick-started life on primordial Earth could have been made in space and delivered by meteorites, according to researchers in Italy. The group synthesised sugars, amino acids and ...

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has called for restrictions on the levels of formamide found in children’s play mats, warning that the substance can be harmful to them. The Consumer Council examined 20 ...

A formamide modification (yellow) to a therapeutic agent siRNA (blue) prevents siRNA to bind to non-target mRNA, which allows for treatment with less side effects. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs ...