Abstract
[Image: see text] Sleeping beauty: The 5-(2’-Deoxyuridinyl) methyl radical 1 is a key intermediate in the thymine oxidative reaction mediated by reactive oxygen species. Evidence is presented that 1 is prone to both oxidation and reduction reactions at the absence of O(2). These results question the current paradigm and suggest that the redox chemistry of 1, which has been largely overlooked in the past, may play a major role in determining the fate of 1.