When scientist J. Craig Venter and his team announced in 2010 that they had created the first cell controlled by a fully synthetic genome, it marked a turning point in how scientists think about life.

Biology has always been an unruly science. Cells divide when they want to. Genes switch on and off like temperamental lights. Experiments typically yield averages, not clear-cut figures. To a ...

Biologists mapping the human microbiome expected to find new bacteria and viruses, not entities that slip through every familiar category of life. Yet that is what several research teams now say they ...

This past year, we explored a lot of new cell biology research—from cancer to plants to microbes, and more! It’s hard to believe what can fit in a year. Yet as we say goodbye to 2025, we want to take ...