University of Utah biochemist Brenda Bass discovered RNA editing three decades ago. In a previous study, Rosenthal discovered that octopuses living in the Antarctic used RNA editing to keep their nerves firing in frigid waters. They found that squids, cuttlefish and octopuses — the smartest kinds of cephalopods — frequently edit RNA, in about one out of every two transcribed genes. Widespread RNA editing comes at a cost. In other words, while most animals adapt and evolve through changes in DNA, they seemed to prioritize RNA recoding.

Source: Washington Post April 06, 2017 21:22 UTC