Ribonuclease A is an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of RNA into smaller components. It is primarily found in the pancreas of mammals and plays a crucial role in the digestion of RNA from food. This enzyme works by cleaving the phosphodiester bonds in RNA, which helps to break it down into nucleotides. Discovered in the 1950s, Ribonuclease A has been extensively studied for its structure and function. It is often used in laboratory research for various applications, including molecular biology and biochemistry, due to its ability to selectively degrade RNA without affecting DNA.