BIOTECHNOLOGY

Victor Barocas is a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota with more than 100 published works in the field. Given his profession, the genesis of this puzzle (spelled out at 71-Across) is probably obvious. Besides the theme, Victor included colorful fill like 8- and 29-Across and 8-, 43-, 56-, 82- and 100-Down — all of which help make for enjoyable solving. This is Victor’s 14th crossword for The Times and his fifth Sunday in the past year. — W.S. ACROSS

1 Homeowner’s action,

for short

5 Things blockers block

8 1979 film inspired by

Janis Joplin’s life

15 Indistinct shape

19 Receptionist on “The

Office”

20 Be bothered by

22 Island nation west

of Fiji

23 Possible consequence

of default, in brief

24 Wildflower with spiky,

purplish blooms

25 Secure

26 Ruling family of

Edward I

27 Finished

28 Adam’s ____ (water)

29 Hole in one’s head

31 Humpty Dumpty, e.g.

32 “Dallas” family name

33 The Anne of “Anne of

the Thousand Days”

35 Feverish

36 Put back on

38 Insinuating

39 —

40 James who won an Emmy two years in a row for the same role on different shows

42—

45 Ignorant person, in

slang

47 Security-system array

49 Total

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 4,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). 51 Angered by

53 Ancient monuments

54 Gaston ____, “The Phantom of the Opera” novelist

55 Latte choice,

informally

58 The “she” in the lyric “She would merengue and do the cha-cha”

59 W.W. I French biplane

60 Capital of Albania

61 Like much of Iowa

63 1980 Olympic hockey

champs

66 Up

68 Shark fighters

70 “Believe ____ not!”

71 Biological manipulation suggested four times by this puzzle

74 First AfricanAmerican Davis Cup player

75 Beethoven’s

birthplace

76 Comprehension

77 Tender spot?

78 Like the sun god Inti

79 Some liturgical

vestments

81 ____ de Triomphe

83 It’s down in the

dumps

86 First National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs

87 Fall color providers

88 Some instant coffees

90 Cheyenne Mountain

org.

92 Stays out of

93 Closes in a thin

membrane 95 Disappointing response to an application

98 Remarkable ability of

a starfish

99 Use a rototiller on,

say

101 Lack of variation

103 “ER” actress Laura

105 Turn out

106 Service with more than

1.5 billion users

107 Home of the Latino Walk of Fame, informally

108 Composer of the “London” symphonies

111 Big e-cigarette brand

113 Anti-athlete’s foot

brand

115 Good for leaving

handprints in

116 State without

reservations

117 —

119 Provider of child

support?

120 —

121 Polynesian carving

122 Dreamer

123 Half in advance?

124 Unique individual

125 Starting point

126 Broadway’s “____

Todd”

127 “Hamilton” Tony nominee Phillipa ____

128 Loch ____, site of

Urquhart Castle

DOWN

1 Goes through physical

therapy

2 Anon 3 Beethoven’s only opera

4 As a rule

5 City that ancient Greeks called Philadelphia

6 Christian with a big

house

7 Winter vehicle

8 Mike and Carol Brady,

e.g.

9 Berry receiving much attention in the 2000s

10 Bambi’s aunt

11 Bit of ancient script

12 Ingredient in some health-food supplements

13 Not occurring

naturally

14 Romanian-born writer once in the French Academy

15 Cook on the outside

16 Tribe of Moses and

Aaron

17 Available to the public

18 Wimbledon champ,

1976-80

21 First takes

29 Gag item floating in

Halloween punch

30 Brother on “Frasier”

32 Breadwinner

34 Ancient Dead Sea

land

37 Woozy

39 —

40 Rooms with views

41 Forecast

42 —

43 Phrase of agreement

44 Subject for Kinsey

46 Olden Tokyo

48 Flower part 50 Roman emperor

before Hadrian

52 “Nyah, nyah!” e.g.

55 Nursery sight

56 Insurance for the

crash-prone

57 Big story

60 Start of a countdown

62 Composer

Schoenberg

64 Repair material

65 Skeptically

67 Apostle called “the

Zealot”

69 Launched 71 Didn’t know but said

something anyway

72 Midlength records, for

short

73 Full of spirit

78 From Shiraz or Tabriz

80 Country star Womack

82 Greenbacks

84 1990s-2000s compact

car

85 Smelter’s supply

87 Locale for un

capitaine

88 It doesn’t need land

to land 89 Sometimes-white

animal

91 Rackets

94 Smiles smugly

96 Twist together

97 X’s

100 Chafe

102 QB protection

squads

104 Companions of

Dionysus

105 John Wilkes Booth’s

actor brother

106 Wikipedia’s logo 107 Refrain from nursery

singing

108 “In time we ____ that which we often fear”: Shak.

109 Devoted

110 Make into a couple

112 Magazine with the motto “Cure ignorance”

114 Staff note

117 —

118 First name in spy

literature

120 —