You have to use the D-PAD to highlight the button - it will turn red - then hit the A button.
The gene names are deliberately vague, I want people to try and figure it out together. The odd player has tried to start a thread (see the subreddit) to get people talking but no one ever responds! I guess we haven't reached a critical mass of players.
The controls are listed and customisable in the launcher along with graphics options... but I hear what you are saying.