Genetics
After 100 Years of Research, Autism Remains a Puzzle
One geneticist is determined to piece together the causes.
Embryo Cells Set Patterns for Growth by Pushing and Pulling
Patterns that guide the development of feathers and other features can be set by mechanical forces in the embryo, not just by gradients of chemicals.
Life’s First Peptides May Have Grown on RNA Strands
RNA and peptides coevolving in the primordial world might have jointly served as a precursor to the modern ribosome.
The Race to Protect Sweet Corn
Breeding a variety that can withstand disease and taste better, too.
Plants Fight for Their Lives
As arable land disappears, a genetic tweak might secure the world’s food supply.
Reading Genomes: The Key to Life and to Thwarting Death
Genome sequencing machines are essential to preventing viral outbreaks, but funding is key.
The Rise of RNA Therapeutics
DNA mutations are hard to fix. Scientists are trying another approach.
The Complex Truth About ‘Junk DNA’
Genomes hold immense quantities of noncoding DNA. Some of it is essential for life, some seems useless, and some has its own agenda.
DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth.
The DNA of some viruses doesn’t use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this exception is possible and hints that it could be more common than we think.
Data Crunchers to the Rescue
Genetic diseases that puzzle lab scientists are being solved by quantitative biologists.
Some Proteins Change Their Folds to Perform Different Jobs
Unusual proteins that can quickly fold into different shapes provide cells with a novel regulatory mechanism.
