A Nobel laureate, he identified an enzyme that cuts DNA, laying the groundwork for milestones in scientific research and medicine, like insulin.

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New studies of canine genetics shed light on the diversity of dogs and our longstanding, still-evolving relationship to them.

“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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His decoding of 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.

Reptiles on a Mexican island were considered an invasive species, but DNA evidence proves they beat humans to the island by hundreds of thousands of years.