Genetics

In their search for sources of genetic novelty, researchers find that some “orphan genes” with no obvious ancestors evolve out of junk DNA, contrary to old assumptions.

We give our genes and our environment all the credit for making us who we are. But random noise during development might be just as important.

Clues from fish diversity suggest that interbreeding between species could be a major mechanism of fast speciation.

Genetically identical bacteria should all be the same, but in fact, the cells are stubbornly varied individuals.

For more than six decades, the influential biologist Edward O. Wilson has drawn connections between evolution, ecology and behavior, often sparking controversies inside and outside of science.

Biologists have demonstrated for the first time that a controversial genetic engineering technology works, with caveats, in mammals.

Renee Reijo Pera has spent decades uncovering how the timing of embryonic development contributes to health and disease.

A unique neurological “functional fingerprint” allows scientists to explore the influence of genetics, environment and aging on brain connectivity.

Evolution may have coopted an ancient metabolic mechanism to set social insects on the path toward one of the most puzzling behaviors found in nature.