Today’s ThemeThe theme for this “Biotechnology” puzzle takes a bit of unraveling, but that’s completely suitable. First of all, you will notice four sets of four bubbles in today’s grid, one in each corner, running diagonally — an unusual configuration. There’s also a scattering of eight entries, running both across and down, that are simply clued with a “—”. In other words, those entries start at the end, the bottom step of those four bubbles running downstairs. Notice how each of them shares a last letter, and that it’s the first circled letter in that corner?

Source: New York Times January 18, 2020 22:30 UTC