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uracil
noun
ura·cil
ˈyu̇r-ə-ˌsil
-səl
Examples of uracil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With that sample, scientists have found evidence suggesting that asteroids had delivered water to the early Earth, and discovered the presence of uracil — a building block of RNA, a molecule that helps form proteins.
—Katrina Miller, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
Meanwhile, scientists studying samples returned from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu discovered vitamin B3 and an RNA compound called uracil.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
The molecules include uracil, a building block for RNA, as well as niacin, which is important to metabolism, ScienceAlert writes.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 22 Mar. 2023
Then, the team detected the signatures of uracil, niacin and other organic compounds containing nitrogen.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 21 Mar. 2023
Researchers just announced the discovery of the nucleobase uracil—one of the building blocks of RNA—in a sample from the asteroid Ryugu.
—Jackie Appel, Popular Mechanics, 21 Mar. 2023
Maybe an adenine gets swapped with a uracil (a substitution mutation that could also occur with any of the base pairs), or perhaps one or more bases get inserted or deleted.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Feb. 2021
In the case of SARS-CoV-2, which has an RNA genome based on adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil, sometimes mistakes happen.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Feb. 2021
However, rather than the conventional duo of base pairs, adenine and uracil or cytosine and guanine, the molecules form hexamers, or six-membered rings.
—Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2014
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Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary ur- entry 1 + acetic + -il (substance relating to)
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near uracil
Cite this Entry
“Uracil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uracil. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
uracil
noun
ura·cil
ˈyu̇r-ə-ˌsil
-səl
Medical Definition
uracil
noun
ura·cil
ˈyu̇r-ə-ˌsil, -səl
More from Merriam-Webster on uracil
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about uracil
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