Dr. Cech is a biochemist and the author of the forthcoming book “The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets,” from which this essay is adapted. From E=mc² to splitting the atom ...

Investigators are analyzing DNA evidence from the home of missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Previous DNA testing on gloves found two miles away did not produce a match in the FBI's national database.

What makes every person unique? Part of the answer is in our genes. A gene is a basic unit of heredity, the means by which traits get passed from one generation to the next, and genetics is the study ...