The protoribosome is the ancestor of all modern ribosomes. The ribosome performs one of life’s core processes: manufacturing proteins based on the information in DNA. It consists of about 60 small molecules comprising two semisymmetrical nucleotides for each of its two parts. It’s still present in virtually every cell of all living organisms, from bacteria to plants and animals, including ourselves. The team’s theory was born some 20 years ago out of startling findings made in the lab in the course of determining the structure and function of the ribosomal subunit of D. radiodurans.Read Long Article
