James Watson Saw the True Form of DNA. Then It Blinded Him.

James Watson’s legacy is a cautionary tale against letting a profound discovery shape your entire worldview.

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For Parents of Children With Autism, There Are No Easy Answers

Two reporters wanted to witness firsthand how doctors and families navigate mixed messages and unproven claims.

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The DNA Helix Changed How We Thought About Ourselves

“The laws of inheritance are quite unknown,” Charles Darwin acknowledged in 1859. The discovery of DNA’s shape altered how we conceived of life itself.

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James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97

His decoding the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist views.

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What Scientists Are Learning From Brain Organoids

Lab-grown “reductionist replicas” of the human brain are helping scientists understand fetal development and cognitive disorders, including autism. But ethical questions loom.

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Arrests in Louvre Heist Show Power of DNA Databases in Solving Crimes

France’s trove of DNA profiles has helped solve high-profile crimes and was used to find some of the Louvre suspects, and it is growing. The police can also access other countries’ databases.

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He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males

Jay Falk explored a fundamental question: How do genes give rise to different bodies? But without funding, “there’s not really a future here.”

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Life Lessons from (Very Old) Bowhead Whales

A gene that helped bowheads adapt to frigid Arctic waters also granted them extraordinary longevity. Could it help aging humans become more resilient?

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A Furious Debate Over Autism’s Causes Leaves Parents Grasping for Answers

The Trump administration’s embrace of unproven or debunked theories about vaccines and Tylenol has left doctors fielding questions from worried parents.

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She Studied How Foresting Affects Pollinators

Kim Ballare was a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service until her federal grant “got snatched away.”

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