How to Use ribonucleic acid in a Sentence

ribonucleic acid

noun
  • To some biochemists, Hud’s attempts to find an evolutionary precursor to ribonucleic acid may have seemed a fool’s errand.
    — Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2014
  • The mechanism is a small piece of the genetic material called messenger ribonucleic acid.
    — Anne Saker, The Enquirer, 24 Nov. 2020
  • That liquid is then put into a machine that goes through hot and cold cycles to make multiple copies of the virus’ ribonucleic acid, which carries genetic information.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2020
  • Ebola’s genetic code, or genome, is contained in a strand of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, that is coiled tightly in the core of the particle.
    — Richard Preston, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2019
  • Coronaviruses are RNA viruses, short for ribonucleic acid, which plays a role in the production of the body’s proteins.
    — Katie Camero, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2020
  • There would be only a small following for ribonucleic acid (RNA), widely seen as a helpmeet molecule.
    — The Economist, 27 Mar. 2021
  • An unproven delivery platform called mRNA – messenger ribonucleic acid, was waiting in the wings.
    — USA Today, 5 Mar. 2021
  • Inside the capsule is a single strand of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, that encodes the genetic information to make new virus particles.
    — Patricia L. Foster, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2019
  • At the center of each virus is its genetic fingerprint (the ribonucleic acid, pink), surrounded by a protective protein shell (the nucleocapsid, yellow).
    — Doug Criss, CNN, 28 Mar. 2018
  • That liquid is then put into a machine that goes through hot and cold cycles to make multiple copies of the virus’ ribonucleic acid (RNA), which carries genetic information.
    — Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2020
  • The synthesis of ribonucleic acid requires various nitrile precursor molecules, such as hydrogen cyanide, cyanoacetylene and cyanogen, which can only form in certain conditions.
    — Discover Magazine, 24 July 2023
  • The company hopes to achieve that by harnessing the potential of an unusual ribonucleic acid that has a circular shape, unlike the more common RNA molecule which has a strand with two ends.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2021
  • The virus’s genetic material consists of many different nucleotides strung together in a chain called ribonucleic acid (RNA).
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022
  • Scientists have discovered that the coronavirus is carried on RNA, or ribonucleic acid, the genetic material that the virus uses to replicate itself.
    — Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2020
  • After the initial stomach issues subside, the toxin continues to invade the liver cells and stops them from making RNA (ribonucleic acid), which the body needs to make healing and protective proteins.
    — Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The dominant theory to explain the origins of life — known as the RNA world hypothesis — regards ribonucleic acid as the first biological molecule.
    — Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2014
  • Gut also notes that to perform annotations researchers are making increasing use of another genetic molecule, RNA, or ribonucleic acid.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The mutations happen in the nucleotides, a component of the coronavirus’ RNA, or ribonucleic acid, which serves as a messenger carrying genetic instructions.
    — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 18 May 2020
  • These obelisks, as they've been named, are minuscule bits of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that serve an unknown function, even though their presence could be widespread in the microbiome, according to a recent study published recently in Cell.
    — Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
  • Using evidence gathered from each of their fields, the experts began piecing together a vast universal puzzle, revealing new theories on the emergence of complex molecules such as RNA (ribonucleic acid).
    — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, 15 Jan. 2019
  • Viruses constantly mutate, especially if their genetic material contains ribonucleic acid (RNA), as is the case with coronaviruses and influenza viruses.
    — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 2 Aug. 2021
  • Samples are processed in special rooms on the new public health building’s second floor, moving through concentration and extraction steps where viral ribonucleic acid is extracted and enzymes are used to convert this genetic material into a form of DNA.
    — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Avidity specializes in developing an innovative class of ribonucleic acid (RNA) therapeutics called antibody oligonucleotide conjugates.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike conventional vaccines, which use a live virus to trigger an immune response in humans, those made using messenger ribonucleic acid, mRNA, carry genetic instructions that generate a spike protein to develop antibodies against infections.
    — Rajesh Roy, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2021
  • Today, revolutionary ribonucleic acid (RNA) technology or mRNA vaccines, developed by Penn Medicine Nobel laureates, are being tested for influenza (flu), cancer, tuberculosis and malaria.
    — Stephanie Stephens, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ribonucleic acid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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