Molecular biology

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

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

After decades of frustration, researchers have determined how an airborne scent molecule links to a human smell receptor.

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.

Everybody gets older, but not everyone ages in the same way. In this episode, Steven Strogatz speaks with Judith Campisi and Dena Dubal, two biomedical researchers who study the aging process.

Structural studies of the robust material called sporopollenin reveal how it made plants hardy enough to reproduce on dry land.

When researchers gave a genetic molecule the ability to replicate, it evolved over time into a complex network of “hosts” and “parasites” that both competed and cooperated to survive.

Traits from RNA molecules passed between multiple generations of worms can work with genetic changes to influence future evolution.

Life could use a more expansive genetic code in theory, but new work shows that improving on three-letter codons would be a challenge.