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
In biotech, no one is afraid of the big, bad wolf (spider)
Spiders are friends and understanding the natural world can help us achieve advances in areas like biotechnology, human health and ...
Does no-till agriculture boost global crop yields?
No-till farming is considered a key conservation agriculture strategy because it avoids conventional plowing and farming practices. It has been ...
‘Hobbit species’ continues to provoke questions about course of human evolution
In 2003, researchers excavating a limestone cave on the remote Indonesian island of Flores made an extraordinary discovery: the 18,000-year-old ...
Hydrocooling helps sweet cherries survive the long haul
People like their sweet cherries sweet but getting them from place to place in the modern world isn't without challenges ...
Organic activists reject science, propose ‘natural’ Ebola cure, claim government conspiracy
As often happens in times of medical crises, fringe groups come out from hiding--in this instance, organic activists in the ...
Cancer genetics: YEATS protein as target for cancer
The human body has an unprecedented capacity to move genetic material from place to place, including a packaging and delivery system ...
How the human immune system resets after Staph infection
When pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella or Staphylococcus invade our bodies, we go into a state of high alert and alter ...
Genetics of congenital heart defects in Down syndrome
In Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal abnormality in humans, a third copy of all or part of chromosome 21 is ...
Genetic mutation missed in 20% of colorectal cancers responsive to drugs
A new research effort has identified a genetic mutation that has been overlooked in recent large, comprehensive gene searches - ...
Genetic variant helped in the Arctic, but now makes us fat
Researchers have discovered a genetic variant that arose thousands of years ago in people living in the Arctic. It helped them then, ...
Before sperm meets egg
In high school biology, we all learned that development of a new organism is a complex endeavor ...
Gluten-free fad food choice, rarely medically dictated
Millions of people have lately adopted a gluten-free diet by self-diagnosing with gluten sensitivities in spite of the fact there ...
How to sell a toxic pesticide the smart way–call it organic
Puzzled about how organic pesticides and synthetic ones have such a different perception among Whole Foods shoppers? Here is an ...
Addiction can be measured by epigenetics
Both alcohol and cocaine dependence are regulated by epigenetic changes in the brain that begin with abuse. Matched with the ...
US Ebola hysteria and money pit highlight lack of resources to confront diseases that kill far more people
The Ebola hysteria underscores how frenzy rather than need drives government responses and resources. Listeria is a disease that's not ...
Women carry fetal DNA long after children’s birth
Women and their offspring exchange small amounts of DNA during pregnancy. Those fetal DNA signatures can last a lifetime in ...
An end to fat shaming? The 50 year DNA mystery of metabolic dysfunction may soon be solved
Eat all of the pizza you want? Unlikely, but some people do have a biological disadvantage when it comes to ...
Mutagenesis: One way Europeans wish it was 1936 again
Want to use ionizing radiation and mutagenic chemicals to create herbicide-resistant crops without the messy GMO protests? Mutagenesis is the ...
Closer examination of risk factors for Latinos underscores cultural diversity
Investigations into the genetics of disease in Latino populations are yielding interesting patterns of risk and protection from disease. The ...
Natural Resources Defense Council sues EPA to block rollout of Dow Enlist Duo GMO system
The NRDC filed what is expected to be the first of numerous suits challenging the EPA's approval of Enlist Duo, ...
Why random walks in evolution lead to the same place–and why biotechnology opponents should take note
A recent study found that evolution is not as random and chaotic as critics of biology like to contend. In ...
Beyond universal donors, some people are programed with no blood type at all
People genetically coded with the RH-null blood type have a blood type more rare than extremely rare disease. Their numbers ...
Sperm mislabeling causes consternation for all-white family with mixed race child
Sperm is a product, but not a well-regulated one. After receiving donor sperm from an African American donor, a Caucasian ...
If not for the NIH, we might have an Ebola vaccine
Because it is election season, government-funded academia and science media have been claiming that politics can be blamed for the ...
CDC faced a nearly impossible balancing act with Ebola, and failed
In an attempt to claim public concerns from turning into mass hysteria, the CDC made some major blunders--some medical and ...
Ebola infographic: Is this outbreak poised for pandemic?
A second Texas healthcare worker tests positive for the virus amid predictions that as many as 10,000 people a day ...
Is organic agriculture leading to an increase in antibiotic resistance?
Conventional agriculture is under attack by organic and anti-GMO activists for contributing to antibiotic resistance as the result of animals ...