Scientists engineered a plant called thale cress (above) to be nearly always on alert to leaf-eating predators. In the lab, these plants grew smaller and made fewer viable seeds than normal.

The malaria-carrying mosquito Anopheles gambiae’s days may be numbered. Scientists have devised a gene drive that wiped out the mosquito’s populations in lab tests.

The ancestors of manatees and other marine mammals shed certain genes millions of years ago. One of those genes protects against certain harmful pesticides.

The skin of the Asian common toad is laced with a natural poison. This species is now spreading across the island of Madagascar. Predators are not likely to keep the invaders in check, a new study finds. Only one appears immune to the toad’s deadly toxin.