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

FEATUREThe Ecology of Tumors   Courtesy of Nasa Ames Research CenterBy perturbing the microenvironment, wounds and infection may be key to tumor development.BY PARAIC A. KENNY, CELESTE M. NELSON, AND MINA J. BISSELLNo tumor is an island. Chemical and physical forces exerted by the diverse cellular populations that surround a tumor - its so-called microenvironment - shape development and progression. Manipulating these 'ecologi

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.

Lengthy stints in intensive care units pare down patients’ gut microflora, a study shows.

Scientists who work with foreign biological specimens face a patchwork of permits that threaten to block their projects, with potentially harmful consequences for the ecosystems they study.

Bats harbor diverse pathogens, including Ebola, Marburg, SARS, and MERS viruses. Understanding why could help researchers stymie deadly emerging diseases.

Metagenomic sequencing can help detect unknown pathogens, but its widespread use faces challenges.

This year’s crop of winning products features many with a clinical focus and others that represent significant advances in sequencing, single-cell analysis, and more.

Reversing catastrophic threats to our planet’s biodiversity is not optional: our lives depend on it.

Photodisc Although President Bill Clinton surely had something in mind during his 2000 State of the Union address when he asked the nation to "celebrate our diversity," insights into human diversity at the molecular level are promising to speed drug discovery and revolutionize medicine to mark- edly improve human health. Individuals differ at one in 1,000 base pairs, which adds up to a whopping number of human genetic variations when applied to the roughly three billion base pairs of the human g