On Friday, November 15, Dr. Karin Kiontke, of New York University, discussed the molecular basis of the transition from a larval stage into an adult stage in a one-millimeter long round work, Caenorhabditis elegans. The onset of this critical developmental right of passage, referred to as puberty in our own species, involves the use of a large RNA molecule that acts a scaffold for the interaction of proteins involved in regulation of the transition. This role of non-transcribed large RNA molecule is novel, greatly expanding our understanding of the function of RNAs far beyond their roles as messages in protein synthesis as described by the classic “central dogma” of molecular biology.