mutate

Because it protrudes at a slight angle, swells approaching from the south or southwest bounce off the jetty and mutate into triangular peaks—hence the spot’s name.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Genes can be expressed or activated, or not—more often they’re not; they mutate and can alter their own function and be altered by environmental forces.

From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2026

Most efforts to create broader vaccines have aimed to protect against an entire viral family, such as all coronaviruses or all influenza strains, by targeting viral components that mutate less frequently.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 23, 2026

This gave H3N2 another chance to mutate, which is natural for viruses, and so it did.

From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026

Another factor Father and his scientists didn’t count on, that biochips would learn, grow, and mutate because somewhere in that ten percent was a hidden message: survive.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Flu tends to be “very unpredictable,” she said, due to the ways that it mutates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“It’s a virus that mutates and against which people must be immunized over and over again.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

These antibodies recognize parts of the virus that remain consistent even as it mutates, making them especially valuable for vaccine research.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 12, 2026

If that protein in the coronavirus changes or mutates then the body's protection is lessened.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

He descends into dreams in which Fredericks mother mutates into a leering, small-mouthed demon and lowers Dr. Hauptmann’s triangles over his head.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The industry faced a crisis during the coronavirus pandemic, when the government ordered a mass cull of mink after a mutated strain of Covid-19 was found in the animals.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

In high risk MDS, genetically mutated stem cells lose the ability to produce the healthy blood cells required to carry oxygen, form clots, and fight infections.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Even the endings feel like save points, with Alice respawning at the start of each consecutive movie with another mutated monkey on her back.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

A patient’s tumor is surgically removed and then sequenced, allowing researchers to figure out which mutated proteins are expressed on the cancer cells.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Without their knowing, my grandparents, on their way to America, were each carrying a single mutated gene on the fifth chromosome.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

The good news is the virus has shown no signs of mutating to make it better at infecting people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Successive governments have attempted to ban such groups, yet the problem has persisted with gangs mutating, rebranding and reappearing under new names each electoral cycle.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

It appears Spider-Man’s DNA could be mutating, as he has gained the ability to produce organic webs, which could be alarming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

This is particularly true when Elisabeth starts mutating in response to her/Sue’s “misuse” of the titular substance.

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2025

Ernie glared back in the mirror, picking at his face, a big pimple in the middle of his forehead like he was mutating into a unicorn.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds