Scientists transferred light-harvesting proteins into yeast for the first time, shining a light on the past lives of eukaryotic cells.

Thirty years out from the start of the Human Genome Project, researchers have finally finished sequencing the full 3 billion bases of a person’s genetic code. But even a complete reference genome has its shortcomings.

The findings will likely help elucidate the effects of chromosome fusions, which can cause disease but have also contributed to evolution.

A database of neglected genes may help unlock the mysteries hiding in the overlooked regions of the proteome.

With the help of directed evolution, scientists inch closer to developing viral vectors that can cross the human blood-brain barrier to deliver gene therapy.

Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.

Standing at the cornerstone of genetic research, Cre-loxP recombination serves as molecular scissors for precisely manipulating the genome.

Evidence is mounting that epigenetic marks on DNA can influence future generations in a variety of ways. But how such phenomena might affect large-scale evolutionary processes is hotly debated.

Studies The Scientist covered this year illustrate the expanding importance of genetic and genomic research in all aspects of life science, from ecology to medicine.

Diverse lines of evidence point to humans’ presence in the New World long before the dawn of Clovis culture. But rewriting this chapter of human history raises many questions about how these early people came to inhabit these continents.