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
‘Immunological dark matter’: Is this why some people have a pre-existing immunity to COVID-19?
More than half a million people have died from COVID-19 globally. It is a major tragedy, but perhaps not on the ...
Video: Death by COVID: The projected grim toll in historical context
The latest statistics, as of July 10, show COVID-19-related deaths in U.S. are just under 1,000 per day nationally, which is ...
‘Tantalizing solutions’: How we are developing the next generation of cancer drugs
Cancer treatments have always been linked to a specific part of the body — these drugs for breast cancer, and ...
Podcast: Global population crash; Pesticide bans backfire; beef producing CRISPR male cows
CRISPR could enable farmers to produce more beef from fewer cattle, boosting farm sustainability. Lawsuits designed to get pesticides and ...
How to argue about ‘race’: Charles Murray and Adam Rutherford are not so far apart
Shortly before the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in May this year, two (now tragically ...
Vaccine ‘durability’: COVID-19 immunizations coming soon but will they last?
As the days unfold with a seeming sameness in this odd summer of the pandemic, news of vaccine clinical trials ...
Podcast: From the Black Death to COVID-19—Investigating the ancient war between genes and disease
Kat Arney looks at the ancient war between our genes and the pathogens that infect us, from the Black Death ...
Evolutionary puzzle: Why do fraternal twins exist?
The chances of having fraternal twins changes with maternal age and is heritable ...
Podcast: Europe suspends GMO rules to speed COVID vaccine; genes and coronavirus; Keto diet fights Alzheimer’s?
Europe has suspended some of its oppressive GMO regulations to speed development of a COVID-19 vaccine, drawing accusations of hypocrisy ...
Facing taboos: Conversation with GLP’s Jon Entine on sustainable agriculture, race and sports, ‘Jewish genetics’ and social investing
Jon Entine is an American science writer. He is the founder and executive director of the Genetic Literacy Project, a ...
COVID-19 is causing silent epidemics — societal and medical crises
As the nation emerges in fits and starts from the lockdowns spurred by the first wave of COVID-19 illnesses, we’re ...
Genetic puzzle: How mice can be modified to help in the race to develop coronavirus therapies
For more than three decades Michael Koob has been working out complicated puzzles using the tools of molecular biology and genetics ...
Strokes often deadly but gene therapy offers hope to rebuild critically damaged brain cells
When you think of a typical meal in the US South, you will likely recall the rich, hearty dishes that ...
In your genes? DNA holds clues about how you will fare when exposed to coronavirus
Although the spread of SARS-CoV2, the virus causing COVID-19, has slowed in many places that have successfully “flattened the curve”, ...
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Daniel Defoe’s account of London’s 1665 bubonic plague offers a shock of recognition
Pandemics have punctuated recorded history going back to ancient Greece and Egypt. However, the novel coronavirus pandemic is unfolding in ...
Re-energized anti-vaccine activism is growing on the right and winning the social media battle to discredit coming coronavirus treatments
What does an antivaxxer and a far-right activist have in common? If the thought of someone who opposes vaccines brings ...
Have any of Earth’s creatures stopped evolving?
Some of the planet's more bizarre creatures have prompted some observers to suggest that evolution, on occasion, is stopped in ...
Who is most vulnerable by age and race to die from COVID-19?
While coronavirus is obviously concerning and a very real threat to some people (namely, the elderly and immunocompromised), these data ...
Rare genetic disorder homocystinuria can cause strokes, seizures and death. A ‘genetic glitch’ in blind cavefish offers hope for a treatment
The discovery of a gene behind the absence of eyes in Mexican cavefish may suggest a new way to treat ...
Blame human evolution for corporate jargon and thick academic prose
For anyone who’s ever worked in a large organization, this kind of message will be depressingly familiar: “Do you have ...
Self medication: Blocked from drugs by the medical establishment, many transgender people resort to black-market hormones
For the first 10 months of Christine’s gender transition, a progressive LGBT health clinic in Boston made getting on hormones ...
Viewpoint: Should autism be treated as an illness that should be cured?
“Many of the greatest artists, actors, musicians, scientists, and entrepreneurs of all time were and are autistic. We all serve ...
Does our perception of the world reflect reality? Solving the problem of consciousness
When I see red, it’s the most religious experience. Seeing red just results from photons of a certain frequency hitting ...
Humans vs. apes: Women are the secret factor explaining how we evolved to populate the world
The populations of the great apes were once nearly equal. Now, one great ape species—Homo sapiens—outnumbers the rest by almost ...
Video: Is there an upside to soaring COVID-19 cases?
Most countries and models that have attempted to control COVID-19 situation have had one ultimate goal; trying to bring the ...
The Three Stooges illustrate why coronavirus-fighting ‘antibody cocktails’ could help contain the virus well before a vaccine
“You imbecile!” bellowed Moe Howard as he stuck a finger up the nose of Curly. Moe the bully would often ...
Podcast: Let the light shine—Tackling eye disease with gene therapy
Researchers are bringing discoveries about the underlying genetic faults that cause eye diseases all the way through to game-changing gene ...
What’s a life worth in dollars and cents? Should that influence who gets treated for expensive disease treatments?
Austin was three years old and Max was a newborn when their mother, Jenn McNary, learned they had a rare ...
