In this episode, we rewind to one of biology’s biggest plot twists: RNA interference (RNAi). Scientists found that injecting double-stranded RNA into Caenorhabditis elegans could silence genes powerfully and precisely—far beyond anything single strands could achieve.
This game-changing discovery revealed:
How dsRNA triggers targeted gene shutdown
Why only a few molecules can silence thousands of cells
How gene silencing spreads across tissues
The first clues toward RNA-based therapies that would change medicine forever
📖 Based on the research article:
“Potent and specific genetic interference by double-stranded RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans”
Andrew Fire, SiQun Xu, Mary K. Montgomery, Steven A. Kostas, Samuel E. Driver & Craig C. Mello.
Published in Nature (1998).
🔗 https://doi.org/10.1038/35888
🎧 Subscribe to the WoRM Podcast for more whole-organism stories that changed the world!