408: RNA-Dependent Cysteine Biosynthesis in Archaea -- Sauerwald et al. 307 (5717): 1969 -- Science

RNA-Dependent Cysteine Biosynthesis in Archaea -- Sauerwald et al. 307 (5717): 1969 -- Science

The evolution of a pathway for producing a form of RNA essential to protein synthesis. Most organisms have one pathway, but certain methanogenic Archaean bacteria lack that pathway. Common descent made people interested in the different pathways, and this research examines the evolution of a novel mechanism.