genes

By watching “minimal” cells regain the fitness they lost, researchers are testing whether a genome can be too simple to evolve.

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

A new genetics study of ant “social parasites” shows how complex sets of features can emerge rapidly and potentially split species.

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

A novel type of “jumping gene” may explain why the genomes of complex cells aren’t all equally stuffed with noncoding sequences.

By genetically instructing cells to perform tasks that they wouldn’t in nature, synthetic biologists can learn deep secrets about how life works. Steven Strogatz discusses the potential of this young field with researcher Michael Elowitz.

Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease.

After decades in the shadow of the reigning model for Alzheimer’s disease, alternative explanations are finally getting the attention they deserve.

The discovery of a hot spot for horizontal gene transfer draws attention to the possible roles of parasites and ecology in such changes.