Proper gene expression is essential for the survival of every cell. Once thought to be a passive transporter of genetic information, RNA has recently emerged as a key player in nearly every pathway in the cell. A full description of its structure is critical to understanding RNA function. Decades of research have focused on utilizing chemical tools to interrogate the structures of RNAs, with recent focus shifting to performing experiments inside living cells. This Review will detail the design and utility of chemical reagents used in RNA structure probing. We also outline how these reagents have been used to gain a deeper understanding of RNA structure in vivo. We review the recent merger of chemical probing with deep sequencing. Finally, we outline some of the hurdles that remain in fully characterizing the structure of RNA inside living cells, and how chemical biology can uniquely tackle such challenges.

Environmental health is becoming increasingly important in the broader context ofclimate change. This article aims to analyze the factors most impactful in determining human health, which was done by performing correlational analysis on a myriad of environmental factors. Each of these factors were evaluated by looking at counties or states as a whole and analyzing the strength of correlation between life expectancy in a county/state to a specific metric measuring environmental health, whether that be natural disasters, air quality, average temperature, exercise rate, water quality, walk score, or food security. The strength of correlation is in the form of an r-squared value, which is a metric that gives a measure of how much of a particular independent variable impacts the dependent variable, which here is life expectancy. The results show that lifestyle factors like food and exercise have a larger impact than expected, while factors such as air and water quality have a less significant impact than expected.