Silent but Deadly – How RNAi Changed Worms (and Science)

Show notes

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

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