UC Irvine scientists used directed evolution to engineer a DNA polymerase that can quickly and accurately produce RNA, overcoming a fundamental limitation of natural enzymes.

The new enzyme, C28, synthesizes RNA with high fidelity, supports long sequences, and enables reverse transcription and DNA-RNA amplification, expanding experimental capabilities.

The National Science Foundation supported the research.

Why the world’s best clean-energy catalysts still fail — and how to fix them? Iridium oxide is one of the best catalysts for making hydrogen fuel, but it’s rare and slowly breaks down inside electrolyzers. In a new study, researchers at Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania captured iridium oxide degrading atom by atom, in real time — revealing that the degradation process is not at all what they expected. Understanding how these materials fail is a critical step toward designing longer-lasting catalysts — and a more sustainable green-energy economy.

A combination of weakened atmospheric removal and increased emissions from warming wetlands, rivers, lakes, and agricultural land increased atmospheric methane at an unprecedented rate in the early 2020s, an international team of researchers report today in the journal Science.