In 1869, Swiss scientist Friedrich Miescher isolated a mysterious substance from cell nuclei—an overlooked finding that would later reshape biology and our understanding of life itself. A ...

DNA doesn’t just sit still inside our cells — it folds, loops, and rearranges in ways that shape how genes behave. Researchers have now mapped this hidden architecture in unprecedented detail, showing ...

Scientists found the DNA on a drawing similar to the Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk , which is shown. Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images For the last decade, a group of researchers has been ...

James Dewey Watson, a molecular biologist whose work helped decode the structure of DNA, died on November 6, 2025, at a hospice in East Northport, N.Y. He was 97 years old. Watson was best known for ...

Is it the invasion of the genome snatchers? Just in case the idea of aliens walking around in human skin suits wasn’t frightening enough. An outlandish study asserts that aliens might have abducted us ...

The frequently cited 99% similarity between human and chimp DNA overlooks key differences in the genomes. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how ...

The Age of AI will rely on massive volumes of data that can be easily stored and retrieved—and bioscience may have an ingenious solution. A scientist examines a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) profile on ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. In 1957, just four years after Francis Crick and other scientists solved the riddle of ...