Genomics

Yizhi “Patrick” Cai is coordinating a global effort to write a complete synthetic yeast genome. If he succeeds, the resulting cell will be the artificial life most closely related to humans to date.

Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer searches museum jars for genetic traces of flu, measles and other viruses. Their evolutionary stories can help treat modern outbreaks and prepare for future ones.

Microbiologists are searching for a universal theory of how bacteria form communities based not on their species but on the roles they play.

Under a microscope, cells in a worm embryo deliberately eliminated one-third of their genome — an uncompromising tactic that may combat harmful genetic parasites.

Genetic elements called Mavericks that have some viral features could be responsible for the large-scale smuggling of DNA between species.

For over a century, biologists have had to contend with a complicated picture of genetics, which they’ve only recently begun to understand.

Changes in the 3D structure of their genome gave skates and rays their distinctive winglike fins and pancake flatness.

On Mount Everest and in the Peruvian Andes, Tracie Seimon uses DNA to study how species and ecosystems respond to climate change, pathogens and other influences.

The first large-scale comparison of mutation rates gives insights into how quickly species can evolve.