In Star Trek, a molecular reversion field is a spatial anomaly that can interfere with transporter patterns and the molecular structures of objects passing through it. In 2369, the shuttlecraft Fermi was trapped in and destroyed by such a field. Traveling aboard the shuttle were Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Ensign Ro Laren, Keiko O'Brien, and Guinan. As the shuttle began to break up, the USS Enterprise-D attempted to beam them off the shuttle. The molecular reversion field obscured portions of their patterns, in particular the ribo-viroxic-nucleic structure of their DNA, and the transporter re-materialized all four without it, resulting in them being turned into young children, though all their memories and mental capacities remained those of adults. s (TNG: "Rascals").

There certainly does not exist within real science either the terms 'molecular reversion field' or 'ribo-viroxic-nucleic'. The latter does alludes to ribonucleic acid (RNA) - a type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units - that is very similar to DNA, but differs in a few important structural details: in the cell, RNA is usually single-stranded, while DNA is usually double-stranded; RNA nucleotides contain ribose while DNA contains deoxyribose (a type of ribose that lacks one oxygen atom); and RNA has the base uracil rather than thymine that is present in DNA. RNA is central to the synthesis of proteins. RNA is formed upon a DNA template. There are several classes of RNA molecules. They play crucial roles in protein synthesis and other cell activities. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of RNA that reflects the exact nucleoside sequence of the genetically active DNA. mRNA carries the "message" of the DNA to the cytoplasm of cells where protein is made in amino acid sequences specified by the mRNA. Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a short-chain type of RNA present in cells. There are 20 varieties of tRNA. Each variety combines with a specific amino acid and carries it along (transfers it) leading to the formation of protein with a specific amino acid arrangement dictated by DNA. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a component of ribosomes. Ribosomal RNA functions as a nonspecific site for making polypeptides.