Human Genetics Features
The GLP tackles innovations in human genetics and biotechnology. We highlight the work of our own writers, as well as that of contributors from around the Web. The GLP does not take a position on genetics-related issues; any opinions expressed belong to the authors.
Categories include:
- CRISPR and gene editing
- Gene therapy
- Stem cell research
- Genetic diseases
- Synthetic biology
- Epigenetics
- Biodrugs (pharmacogenetics)
- Personal genomics
- Ancestry and evolution
- Ethics and regulations
Artificial intelligence: Should we worry?
Hollywood has a long history of depicting artificial intelligence. But as it inches closer to making the jump from the ...
Nutrigenomics: Can custom diets based on personal genetics help you lose weight?
Several companies offer services that will match you with the best diet based on your genes. But can genetic information ...
Should next US President abandon the Biden-Obama ‘moonshot’ cancer initiative?
Obama's cancer-cure initiative may sound like a winning policy, but critics are lining up to suggest it shouldn't be continued ...
Venus may have once been habitable: Can we make it that way again?
Much of the focus in astrobiology has been about life on Mars, but what about life on Earth's other neighbor, ...
Matching brain with genitals: Complicated neuroscience of gender identity
Finger length, empathy levels and even brain size don’t determine our gender identity. But what does? ...
Gene doping in sports entails challenges and dangers but may not be so dopey
Athletes experimenting with gene doping may not be ethical, but it could lead to potential treatments of human disease ...
Should FDA crack down on stem cell clinics?
Stem cell clinics operating in the U.S. market cures for nearly every kind of disorder without evidence they work or ...
How will we use gene editing to treat human disease?
Technology for safe effective germline editing is not ready yet, but once it is, these are some of things we ...
Chemical fingerprints: Sensing emotions in a theater and life across interstellar space
How can studying carbon dioxide release from people watching a movie help us detect life on other planets? ...
Genome editing: Is it a national security threat?
Is genome editing really so powerful that it could do major damage, either accidentally, or through foul play? Or is ...
Message to college students: How your all nighters affect your learning and memory
The all-nighter is now as synonymous with a college student's life as the frat party, but it is detrimental to ...
Mitochondrial therapy—More than “three parent” babies—Stalls in ethical battle
Mitchondria DNA replacement is much more than "three parent babies." It might treat a wide range of diseases ...
Chimeric organ transplants: Science and ethics of growing human organs in pigs
Scientists may soon offer a solution to the organ shortage by growing human organs in pigs. But that poses prickly ...
New drug approved for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as mystery disease causes come into focus
Viruses and our human genes tend to co-mingle and cause structural and functional changes--is that what's causing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? ...
Jon Lester, Mario Lemieux, Lance Armstrong—Why do so many athletes in their prime get cancer?
Why do some studies show that athletes--the fittest amongst us--show peculiarly high rates of some cancers? ...
CRISPR genome editing could be game changer in war against antibiotic resistance
Using CRISPR genome editing, researchers are starting a new trend, which is to strip pathogenic bacteria of their acquired armor ...
Epigenetics, pregnancy and the Holocaust: How trauma can shape future generations
The fetus of pregnant moms who experience traumatic events are permanently effected? Are the changes passed down to future generations? ...
DIY CRISPR-Cas9: Should we fear or embrace programmable gene editing kits for the home?
When you hear about do-it-yourself CRISPR, you may imagine amateurs cooking up something dangerous in their kitchens. But that is ...
Gene therapy 2.0: Will CRISPR make expensive treatment accessible to all?
Gene therapy, at a million dollars a treatment, will run up a patient's medical bill quickly. Can CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing ...
Kenyans sweep distance races, Jamaicans sprints: How evolution has shaped elite sports
The results of the Rio Olympics, especially in track and field events, reinforce the now widely accepted theory that evolution ...
Epigenetic Zs: Could a bad night’s sleep alter your genes?
Sleep deprivation can not only ruin your day, it may change your DNA ...
Olympic health update: Zika vaccines, GMO mosquitoes, and snake oils
There's progress on a vaccine to combat as well as biotech solutions but there are also fake Zika solutions being ...
Will epigenetics play central role in advancement of precision medicine?
For many treatments it remains to be proven whether a drug's epigenetic actions, rather than another mechanism such as stimulation ...
Is crowdsourcing key to finding cures for genetic-based diseases like depression?
Fifteen gene loci are linked to depression using 23andMe user data in the most comprehensive study of the disease yet ...
Science communicators condemn Facebook’s censorship of pro-science “We Love GMOs and Vaccines”
Anti-GMO and anti-vaccine activists--many of them are the same--have manipulated Facebook to shut down a pro science site, stirring sharp ...
Synthetic biologists developing cells programmed to target, destroy cancer
Synthetic biology might be ready to graduate from cells engineered to perform only one task to multiple cells in a ...
Humans who can’t feel pain pointing way to non-addictive painkillers
Genes linked to pain detection and perception may be physiological targets for new, non-addictive painkillers ...
