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 ...

Each protein is a molecule made up of different combinations of 20 types of smaller, simpler amino acids. Protein molecules are long chains of amino acids that are folded into a three-dimensional ...

In fact, each gene in cellular DNA contains the code for a unique protein structure. Not only are these proteins assembled with different amino acid sequences, but they also are held together by ...

Scientists have detected organic compounds and minerals necessary for life in the samples collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission ...

The specific structure of a protein determines its unique biological function. (click on image to enlarge) (Image: National Human Genom Research Institute) Proteins are built from a set of 20 standard ...

Scientists have long believed they understood how life’s genetic code evolved, but new research upends that assumption. By ...

The building blocks for life, including salts, organic matter and amino acids have been found in samples returned to Earth ...

Bennu’s parent asteroid, which formed around 4.5 billion years ago, seems to have been home to pockets of liquid water.