Amino acids are the building blocks that form polypeptides and ultimately proteins. Consequently, they are fundamental components of our bodies and vital for physiological functions such as protein ...

This image illustrates the general structure of an amino acid.The central carbon atom (C) is bonded to a hydrogen atom (H), an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH), and a variable side chain (R ...

Enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases attach the correct amino acid to each tRNA ... But as far as their structure is concerned, these RNAs all share the same basic single-stranded chemical ...

As amazing as discovering amino acids at all was how easily they had formed. That same year, the structure of DNA was elucidated, revealing even more strikingly the crucial role of very basic ...

The sequence of amino acids in the chain determines how the ... form attachments and interact with many other molecules and structures inside organisms. The shape of a protein determines what ...

A common mineral, α-alumina, found abundantly in Earth's crust, may have played a critical role in initiating the chemical ...