The 1998 Nobel prize in Medicine was awarded for the seminal discovery of small RNAs, molecules that regulate gene expression and cellular functions but which do not themselves encode proteins. Paula Cohen, professor of genetics and director of Center for Reproductive Genomics, discusses collaborative efforts between the Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medical College to define the emerging role of small RNAs in human disease processes, notably infertility, cancer, and birth defects. Part of Cornell's sesquicentennial celebration, April 24-27, 2015.