Molecular biology

Researchers have finally seen how some smell receptors bind to odor molecules. The work yields new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses.

In some symbiotic partnerships, an RNA-based mechanism may sabotage the growth of greedy hosts.

Transcription factors that act throughout the genome can arise from mashups of transposable elements inserted into established genes.

New work shows that histones, long treated as boring spools for DNA, sit at the center of the origin story of eukaryotes and continue to play important roles in evolution and disease.

Glycans, the complex sugars that stud cellular surfaces, are like a language that life uses to mediate vital interactions. Researchers are learning how to read their meaning.

Unusual proteins that can quickly fold into different shapes provide cells with a novel regulatory mechanism.

Inside cells, droplets of biomolecules called condensates merge, divide and dissolve. Their dance may regulate vital processes.

The simple insight that most changes are random had a profound effect on genetics, evolution and ecology.

Even genes essential for life can be caught in an evolutionary arms race that forces them to change or be replaced.