 Many biologists and commentators from the humanities and social sciences have questioned whether the gene is still a useful category in biology. Too many times have the entities and processes associated with the term turned out to be more diverse and more complex than initially assumed, and it seemed that new terms were needed to accommodate new insights. And yet, the term “gene” has proved to be persistent. It remains central not only in public discourse about biology and in educational contexts, but also for researchers at the cutting edge of the life sciences in framing their results and interpretations.