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
Coronavirus can remain viable on everyday surfaces for up to 3 days. Here’s how to protect yourself
Disinfecting an area takes time and effort. And there is only so much you can do ...
Viewpoint: Anti-vaccine, anti-GMO groups use coronavirus outbreak to stir unfounded 5G-cancer fears
Leave it to science denialists to exploit a global crisis and tragedy to spread health hysteria. As the world struggles ...
‘Sophie’s Choice’ in the time of coronavirus: Deciding who gets the ventilator
Three otherwise healthy patients go to the emergency department with severe acute respiratory failure. Only one ventilator, required to sustain ...
What’s ‘race’ got to do with it? Most of sub-Saharan Africa emerges as coronavirus ‘cold spot’, which may offer clues to finding COVID-19 vaccine
Do diseases discriminate on the basis of 'race'—or their genetic population, using more precise terminology? On the surface, this may ...
Podcast: ‘God, what a mess!’—the accidental discovery of genetic fingerprinting
At 9.05am on the morning of 10th September 1984, geneticist Alec Jeffreys developed an X-ray film that would change the ...
In pursuit of coronavirus treatments and why we need to be cautious
It's impossible to keep up with entries at ClinicalTrials.gov that include the search term “COVID-19.” Last week when I posted Can ...
Searching the world’s remedies for novel coronavirus treatments: Can Viagra, stem cells or Chinese herbs help?
As the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to mount, so do entries at clinicaltrials.gov for potential treatments, reaching into ...
All the resources you need in the global battle against the coronavirus
Curious about the state of research into screening and diagnostic tools for the coronavirus? Maybe you want to keep up ...
Comparing the coronavirus pandemic to past pathogenic threats: HIV, anthrax and Ebola
How does the COVID-19 pandemic compare to other infamous viral infections that have plagued us in modern times? It's a ...
Podcast: Fighting blindness with CRISPR. Ophthalmologist in groundbreaking study explains how gene editing could treat a once-incurable disease
Congenital eye disorders can rob children of their eyesight at a young age and severely diminish their quality of life ...
Studying the African genome could yield new medical treatments for everyone
A broader range of populations should be investigated to avoid genomic medicine being of benefit merely to a privileged few ...
Delving into fuzzy forecasts: How many Americans are infected with the coronavirus?
In the absence of real numbers, projections have filled the void, and it's hard to know which forecasts to trust ...
Viewpoint: We’ll learn a lot from the coronavirus outbreak, but it will be ‘paid for in blood’
The coronavirus outbreak, now a pandemic spreading at an exponential rate throughout the world, is upending our routines, certainties and ...
How the “F” word—flu—led to confusion as the coronavirus pandemic unfolded
Thinking that a novel virus is like a familiar one is like assuming that a guinea pig is the same ...
Podcast: Can you inherit more than half your genes from one parent? Debunking genomic myths and misconceptions
Is there such a thing as a perfect genome? Kat Arney explores the myths and misconceptions about genetics, genomics and ...
The risks of using gene drives to get rid of ‘pesky species’
Using gene drives to eradicate pests has a potential downside—DNA is constantly changing. That means gene drives have the potential ...
Dark humor memes about suicide, death and isolation may help depressed people cope with their own problems
Memes are a simple way for people suffering from depression to share their experiences ...
Podcast: Treating blindness with CRISPR; customized cancer drugs; Beyond Meat v. critics; saving bananas from extinction
As genetic engineering reshapes intimate aspects of our lives, is the public on board? ...
Fighting the coronavirus outbreak with genetic sequencing, CRISPR and synthetic biology
We are better prepared for a coronavirus outbreak than a few years ago ...
Podcast: Bird poop, pus, and the Manhattan project—the surprising origins of the genetic alphabet
Kat Arney explores the origins of the genetic alphabet: A, C, T and G - the four 'letters' that spell ...
‘Warrior gene’: Some people may be genetically wired for aggressiveness. Should we do anything about it?
“Some people have real problems right out of the starting block. We can't dodge the responsibility for social action." ...
Party drug ‘ecstasy’ could be the answer to years of searching for a PTSD treatment
A once-rejected rave drug finds a new healing purpose ...
Human-chimp hybrid fossil discovery rewrites human evolutionary history! Uhm, maybe not.
Does the anatomy of this ancient ape upend assumptions about how human ancestors learned to walk? ...
Building ‘better’ astronauts through genetic engineering could be key to colonizing other planets
Through genetic engineering, we will one day have the ability to thrive in harsh alien environments ...
‘Headed down the wrong road’: The quest for precision medicine distracts us from what already works
The dominance of genomics in biomedical research today is driven by scientific theory and opportunity, but it is pushing science ...
Searching for your doppelgänger: Why it’s not so unusual to find a twin
The global reach of the web has allowed people to find others who look like an identical twin, yet share ...
Podcast: How ‘anti-CRISPR’ viral proteins can fine-tune gene editing in medicine and agriculture
Researchers hope to exploit this viral countermeasure to regulate gene editing and minimize unintended mutations during the editing process ...
Viewpoint: Genetics can help us navigate the ‘toxic’ transgender debate in more compassionate ways
If we are ever to untangle the nature/nurture knot, we need to find ways past the petty politicizing exemplified by ...
