Briefing | The medicine is the message

Covid-19 vaccines have alerted the world to the power of RNA therapies

And the molecule has many more tricks up its sleeve

Illustration: Ryan Chapman
|16 min read

Editor’s note (October 7th 2024): On October 7th this year’s Nobel prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of micro-RNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. In this article in 2021 we examined the potential of micro-RNA and other RNA therapies.

Explore more

A portrait of Elizabeth McDonough

The obscure Senate functionary whose word is law

Elizabeth MacDonough does more to shape legislation than most congressmen

A photo illustration showing aggressive firecrackers erupting from the U.S. Capitol

The big beautiful bill reveals the hollowness of Trumponomics

Republicans mark America’s birthday with a profligate but insubstantial law


A conceptual illustration showing the link between defense and the economy: at the center, a ticking clock symbolizes urgency, while behind it, costly weapons spin like gears, emphasizing rising demands and accelerating military spending.

The war in Ukraine shows the West can re-arm without re-industrialising

Industrial capacity in peacetime is no longer necessary for success during war


How much did America’s bombs damage Iran’s nuclear programme?

Assessments vary wildly and it is impossible to know for sure

Israel’s war with Iran is over

But its impact is uncertain

Israel’s blitz on Iran is fraught with uncertainty

Much hinges on the stubborn supreme leader and America’s mercurial president