DNA - The Atlantic

DNA

December 8, 2025

a shiny and ghostly dna helix crosses an irregularly checked board of black and beige

Science

The Paradox of James Watson

Kathryn Paige Harden and Eric Turkheimer

November 10, 2025

Science

The Machines Finding Life That Humans Can’t See

Marion Renault

September 29, 2025

butterfly specimen against a swirly background

Technology

AI Is Grown, Not Built

Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares

September 15, 2025

Science

The Sea Slug Defying Biological Orthodoxy

Zoë Schlanger

July 23, 2025

Photograph of the sea slug, Elysia chlorotica

Culture

This Summer’s Most Pointless Sequel Is Here

David Sims

July 4, 2025

Ideas

Inside the Creepy, Surprisingly Routine Business of Animal Cloning

Bianca Bosker

July 2025 Issue

Photo-illustration of a photo showing a gray mare behind a chestnut foal on a black background, multiplying to the right downward and beyond the frame.

Health

Aspiring Parents Have a New DNA Test to Obsess Over

Kristen V. Brown

January 15, 2025

Collage of hands framing a crystal ball in which an ultrasound image is visible

Technology

A Virtual Cell Is a ‘Holy Grail’ of Science. It’s Getting Closer.

Matteo Wong

January 9, 2025

Animation of pixelated cells on a computer screen

Ideas

The Most Important Breakthroughs of 2024

Derek Thompson

December 29, 2024

Illustration of a rocket ship, vaccine, a double helix DNA molecule, and computer circuit paths

Being Human

The Cancer Gene More Men Should Test For

Kristen V. Brown

November 20, 2024

Health

Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All

Kristen V. Brown

November 12, 2024

Color illustration of two double helices being held together by an open orange padlock

Health

Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe?

Kristen V. Brown

September 27, 2024

Color illustration of a giant double helix in a shopping basket

Ideas

What If He Actually Did It?

Amanda Knox

May 2, 2024

Mug shot of Jens Söring with an image overlaid of him as a young adult

Health

DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest

Sarah Zhang

March 18, 2024

collage with photograph of a child obscured by dna strips

Science

An Evolutionary Magic Trick Is Popping Up Everywhere

Carrie Arnold

November 20, 2022

Science

Does DNA Prove These Wild Horses Came From a Spanish Shipwreck?

Sarah Zhang

August 16, 2022

Science

After 30 Years of Breeding Condors, a Secret Comes Out

Sarah Zhang

October 28, 2021

Science

The Animal Kingdom Is Full of Genetic Screwballs

Alla Katsnelson and Knowable Magazine

October 24, 2021

Science

Two Arctic Fish Are Breaking the Rules of Genetics

Quanta Magazine and Christie Wilcox

June 12, 2021

Science

The Human Genome Is—Finally!—Complete

Sarah Zhang

June 11, 2021

Illustration of chromosomes against a pink background

Science

A Revolution Is Sweeping the Science of Ancient Diseases

Sarah Zhang

April 26, 2021

Science

A Pesky Insect Took an Evolutionary Shortcut

Katherine J. Wu

March 25, 2021

Ideas

My Urge to Fail and Fail Again

David Duchovny

February 2, 2021

An illustration of an arrow pointing to a foot tattoo

Science

A Huge Discovery in the World of Viruses

Ed Yong

February 20, 2020

Health

Gadgets for Life on a Miserable Planet

Amanda Mull

January 14, 2020

A person is outfitted with a headband for detecting brain activity at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020.

Science

The Startling Secret of an Invincible Virus

Ed Yong

December 11, 2019

Science

A Hint About the Affliction That Kept Marat in the Bathtub

Sarah Zhang

November 20, 2019

Science

Has Humanity’s Homeland Been Found?

Ed Yong

October 28, 2019

The Okavango Delta, in northern Botswana

Science

It’s Possible to Inherit More DNA From One Parent Than the Other

Sarah Zhang

October 10, 2019

Images of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes

Science

The Messy Consequences of the Golden State Killer Case

Sarah Zhang

October 1, 2019

Prosecutors in the Golden State Killer case, which pioneered the use of forensic genealogy

Science

How Ancient DNA Can Help Recast Colonial History

Ed Yong

September 18, 2019

Science

A Woman’s AncestryDNA Test Revealed a Medical Secret

Sarah Zhang

September 13, 2019

Holly Becker today (left) and in her 20s (right), when she had cancer

Science

A Burst of Clues to South Asians’ Genetic Ancestry

Sarah Zhang

September 5, 2019

Science

Why the Placental Microbiome Should Be a Cautionary Tale

Ed Yong

July 31, 2019

A 3d ultrasound image of a fetus inside a womb

Science

She Was Found Strangled in a Well, and Now She Has a Name

Sarah Zhang

July 29, 2019

Sections

The Print Edition

The Rarest of All Diseases Are Becoming Treatable

The Paradox of James Watson

The Machines Finding Life That Humans Can’t See

AI Is Grown, Not Built

The Sea Slug Defying Biological Orthodoxy

This Summer’s Most Pointless Sequel Is Here

Inside the Creepy, Surprisingly Routine Business of Animal Cloning

Aspiring Parents Have a New DNA Test to Obsess Over

A Virtual Cell Is a ‘Holy Grail’ of Science. It’s Getting Closer.

The Most Important Breakthroughs of 2024

The Cancer Gene More Men Should Test For

Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All

Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe?

What If He Actually Did It?

DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest

An Evolutionary Magic Trick Is Popping Up Everywhere

Does DNA Prove These Wild Horses Came From a Spanish Shipwreck?

After 30 Years of Breeding Condors, a Secret Comes Out

The Animal Kingdom Is Full of Genetic Screwballs

Two Arctic Fish Are Breaking the Rules of Genetics

The Human Genome Is—Finally!—Complete

A Revolution Is Sweeping the Science of Ancient Diseases

A Pesky Insect Took an Evolutionary Shortcut

My Urge to Fail and Fail Again

A Huge Discovery in the World of Viruses

Gadgets for Life on a Miserable Planet

The Startling Secret of an Invincible Virus

A Hint About the Affliction That Kept Marat in the Bathtub

Has Humanity’s Homeland Been Found?

It’s Possible to Inherit More DNA From One Parent Than the Other

The Messy Consequences of the Golden State Killer Case

How Ancient DNA Can Help Recast Colonial History

A Woman’s AncestryDNA Test Revealed a Medical Secret

A Burst of Clues to South Asians’ Genetic Ancestry

Why the Placental Microbiome Should Be a Cautionary Tale

She Was Found Strangled in a Well, and Now She Has a Name