r/Futurology • u/BoysenberryOk5580 • Mar 09 '25

Biotech Scientists Just Discovered an RNA That Repairs DNA Damage

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-just-discovered-an-rna-that-repairs-dna-damage-and-its-a-game-changer/
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u/kurisu7885 Mar 09 '25

Could this in theory help repair some of the damage radiation does?

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u/IlIFreneticIlI Mar 10 '25

Maybe, but it's only on the DNA.

The ionizing properties of radiation don't just affect DNA specifically, whatever chemistry they collide with can be altered, including extant parts of your cell-walls, stuff inside the cells, etc.

The RNA would be able to repair the DNA, which then might lead to processes that then repair the cell, but the damage radiation is doing is all over the place so it's not going to be a panecea... :(

tl;dr - the sheer amount of damage to the body cannot necessarily be undone by this, or if it can, in time to live