For decades, only three mechanisms for spreading DNA (such as antibiotic resistance genes) from one bacterium to another were known. Now researchers have characterized a fourth, adding a new wrinkle ...

Although the idea of genes had been around for many years, it was not until the 1950s that the chemical nature and structure of DNA and its function as hereditary material were identified. This page ...

A newly discovered mechanism may enable viruses to shuttle genes between bacteria 1,000 times as often as was thought — making them a major force in those cells’ evolution. Bacteria have a sneaky ...

Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms have developed genetic mechanisms by which they can evolve to adapt to and meet the challenges thrown at them by a changing environment. One process by which ...