Ribosome
A tiny structure in the cytoplasm of a cell (outside the nucleus) that functions as the protein factory for the cell.
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- Ribozyme
An RNA molecule that can catalyze its own chemical reactions.
- Rice genome
The first commercially important plant to have its genome sequenced. This feat, completed early in 2001, is particularly important because rice is a staple food for a large portion of the population of the world. With the rice sequence, genes can be located to improve yields and make rice more nutritious. Rice was the second […]
- Ricin
A potent protein toxin made from the waste left over from processing castor beans. The castor plant, which is called Ricinus communis, is found throughout the world. Ricin is fairly easy to extract. Worldwide a million tons of castor beans are processed annually in the production of castor oil. The waste mash from this process […]
- Rickets
A disease of infants and children that disturbs normal bone formation (ossification), leading to failure to mineralize bone. Rickets softens bone, producing osteomalacia, and permits marked bending and distortion of bones. Other features of rickets include softness of the infant’s skull (craniotabes), enlargement of the front end of the ribs (creating the ‘rachitic rosary’), thickening […]
- Rickets, celiac
Rickets caused by failure of the intestines to absorb calcium and fat from foods.