Nirenberg's Genetic Code Chart, 1961-66 On May 27, 1961, Heinrich Matthaei, a postdoc working with NIH scientist Marshal Nirenberg, placed synthetic polyuracil RNA into 20 test tubes to see what it ...

But a first-of-its-kind comparison of genetic codes from 62 animals is beginning to tell the story of how people - and other mammals - lost their locks.

The universal genetic code generally encodes the same 20 amino acids and three stop signals in all organisms, although a small number of genes in many organisms, including humans, contain two ...

Need a password for a new device or service? Try the genetic code. Messenger RNA triplets and the amino acids they specify provide nearly endless password possibilities. And it’s timely — the ...

When scientists discovered DNA and its double-helix form, they had finally identified the molecules that contain every human’s unique genetic code. But determining how those instructions were ...

In a giant feat of genetic engineering, scientists have created bacteria that make proteins in a radically different way than all natural species do.

The synthetic bacteria contain a shorter genetic code with 57 codons rather than 64, freeing up space for further edits that might lead to new drugs or virus-resistant microbes ...

Marshall Nirenberg was the first federal worker to win the Nobel in physiology or medicine, and it made him an instant celebrity. But he decided to spend his entire working career at the NIH.