Science has a way of connecting past and future in the most tangible places. During my visit to the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), I had the chance to stop by a unique historical marker: the site where the first RNA nucleotide sequence was ever determined. As an RNA biologist, that felt like a real “goosebumps” moment. And the detail that made it perfect? The plaque features a tRNA structure. 

A bit of history makes this landmark even more meaningful. In the mid-1960s, Robert W. Holley and colleagues determined the first nucleotide sequence of an RNA by sequencing a yeast alanine tRNA. This was a major breakthrough, not just because it was the first RNA sequence, but because it helped establish how we could connect nucleic acid sequences to biological function and, ultimately, to the flow of information in cells. 

That era fundamentally reshaped molecular biology. Holley’s sequencing achievement was recognized alongside landmark discoveries that clarified the genetic code, and together those advances were awarded the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (Holley, Marshall W. Nirenberg, and Har Gobind Khorana). 

For me, seeing that history literally etched into a building plaque was the most wonderful complement to a great visit to BTI. I left feeling energized by the science, the conversations, and the reminder that the questions we ask today are built on remarkable milestones like this one. 

Thank you to Eric Richards for taking the photo and for taking the time to show me this little landmark of RNA history.