Human 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
Viewpoint: Are cancer rates โskyrocketingโ as RFK, Jr. and MAHA claims? The evidence says mostly the opposite
C[/drocap]lickbait headlines often obscure this reality and reinforce misunderstandings. For example, cancer is not a single disease; itโs a catchall ...
Viewpoint: How to counter science disinformation? Science journalist offers 12 practical tips
Science communications is not an easy task. You have to be comprehensive and concise, simplifying the message while not dumbing ...
Regulators’ dilemma: Thalidomide, Metformin, and the cost of getting drug approvals wrong
Umpiring in sport is a strange profession. A cricket umpire stands for hours under the sun, matching the stamina of ...
GLP podcast: Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Foodโhealth harming industries or life-saving innovators?
Fossil fuels, pesticides and food processing have dramatically improved living standards around the globe. This may be a controversial claim, ...
Cooling the planet with balloons: Could a geoengineering gamble slow global warming?
The political momentum behind costly climate-change mitigation appears to be weakening, especially in the United States. President Donald Trump has ...
Science Disinformation Gap: The transatlantic battle over social media and censorship
Every day, the same post appears in two places at once. A Facebook user in Munich sees it with a ...
When superbugs threaten vulnerable children: Can AI help solve antibiotic resistance?
They are newborns, many of them less than two weeks old, and the race to save them is measured in ...
FDAโs expedited drug reviews are hailed in some quarters but other approval practices are problematic
In July 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a pilot program intended to expedite reviews for drug ...
As vaccine rejectionism spreads, measles may be taking a more dangerous turn
Eman, our informally adopted son who is a physician in Monrovia, Liberia, is recovering from the measles. He contracted it ...
GLP podcast: ‘Safe injection sites’: enabling drug addiction or saving lives?
With illicit opioids still killing thousands of Americans each year, some public health advocates are pushing a radical solution to ...
The FDA wants to make many popular prescription drugs OTCโa great idea. Hereโs why itโs unlikely to happen
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary recently stated that when it comes to drugs that currently require a ...
โScience moves forward when people are willing to think differentlyโ: Memories of DNA maverick Craig Venter
I was saddened to hear of Craig Venterโs passing at the age of 79 on April 30, 2026. Often portrayed ...
Paraben panic: How a flawed study, media hype, and chemophobia convinced the public of the danger of one of the safest classes of preservatives
Public opinion driven by fear has immense influence in our society, especially when it comes to science and health topics ...
ViewpointโโMiracle moleculeโ debunked: Why acemannan supplements donโt work
Weโve done a lot of debunks. After a while, they start to blur together because the formula is almost always ...
Viewpoint: The Casey Means hustleโWellness woo opportunism dressed up as medical wisdom
I thought it might be a good idea to try to examine the underlying reasons why so many scientists and ...
MAHA wellness influencers deride proven anxiety medications, tout lifestyle fixes
After a grueling year of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to treat breast cancer, Sadia Zapp was anxious โ not the ...
Viewpoint: โScience-as-Satanโ unites the MAHAโMAGA movements. Is a breakup in the works?
The MAHA agenda had a bit of a wake-up call following the EPAโs approval of the herbicide dicamba. I think ...
Wellness influencer nonsense: No, nicotine does not boost cognition and productivity, but it can damage your healthย
If you spend any time on social media, you may have noticed a curious trend: wellness influencers singing the praises ...
AI disinformation stress test: Challenges and response strategies
To solve big problems and navigate a chaotic world, we first need a clear, shared understanding of the facts. Today, ...
The Trump administration has run out more than 4,000 National Institutes of Health employees. Here are the consequences
Marc Ernstoff, a physician who has pioneered immunotherapy research and treatments for cancer patients, said his work as a federal ...
Why โsupport supplementsโ for GLP-1 users are mostly a waste of money
Weight-loss injections have rapidly moved from specialist clinics to social media feeds and high-street pharmacies. Known as GLP-1 medications, they ...
Doctors needs nutrition classes? A physician unmasks another MAHA myth
To hear RFK, Jr. talk about medical school, you may think doctors enter health care oblivious to basic facts about ...
Viewpoint: How do you sell evidence-based health and science in a world where facts donโt matter?
[B]efore whateverย thisย period is, the idea that public resistance to science was essentially a knowledge problem โ that more information โfixedโ ...
Viewpoint: โMake America Healthy Againโ appeals to fake nostalgia about non-existent golden age
โMake America healthy againโ sounds like a great slogan. It is loaded with nostalgia and โฆ haziness. What is that ...
Ban the ads? Should government restrict prescription drug commercials?
Tamar Abrams had a lousy couple of years in 2022 and โ23. Both her parents died; a relationship ended; she ...
RFK, Jr. was approved as HHS secretary only because doctor-senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote. Anti-vaxxers are now gunning for him
The ambitious liver doctor would go just about anywhere in his home state to give people the hepatitis B vaccine ...
GLP podcast: Miracle drug? Tech bros inflate depression-fighting effects of psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT
The greater the media hype around psychedelics, the more skeptical you should be. A perfect example of why this skepticism ...
