ribonucleotide
/ˌraɪboʊˈnjuːkliəˌtaɪd/
Definition
A chemical compound serving as a structural unit of RNA, formed by the combination of a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
Etymology
The word is a hybrid construction derived from 'ribose' (a five-carbon sugar), 'nucleo-' (referring to the cell nucleus where nucleic acids were first identified), and the suffix '-ide' (denoting a chemical compound). It entered scientific English in the early 20th century to describe the fundamental components of ribonucleic acid.
In the news
The article identifies ribonucleotides as the essential building blocks of RNA, suggesting that space-borne sugars like erythrulose may have contributed to the early formation of these genetic materials on Earth.
Space jam: astronomers detect ‘raspberry sugar’ on dust cloud in Milky Way
Read the full article ↗The Guardian