The new study, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, focuses on critical snippets of RNA in the tiny, transparent roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).

C. elegans is a worm species that is commonly used in biological research because of its experimental amenability and body transparency. The researchers examined the ADAR enzyme in C. elegans.

Colorized scanning electron microscope image of a C. elegans nematode worm – one of the most studied animals in biological research. Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images ...

The discovery of RNAi dates back to the 1990s when researchers observed unexpected gene silencing in plants and fungi. In 1998, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello published a groundbreaking study ...

Strikingly, in certain mutants of small RNA pathway factors (e.g., eri-1, ergo-1, or drh-3), researchers found that NRDE-3 accumulates in the peri-centrosomal foci in embryos.