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
GLP Podcast & Video: Synthetic biology makes $10,000 perfume way cheaper; ‘Fashionable organic fantasies’ at the WEF; Sleeping pills cause dementia?
A bottle of perfume used to cost more than $10,000. The price has dropped precipitously thanks to advancements in synthetic ...
Can we know for sure COVID’s origins? Why is Omicron so persistent? Knowing how evolution works provides guidance
The latest phrase borrowed from biology in COVID conversations is convergent evolution. It refers to pairs of unrelated species that ...
How cats got their stripes: The mystery of color patterns in mammals
In 1902’s Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling famously explained how the leopard got his spots in what would today be deemed an ...
Podcast and video: Fighting cystic fibrosis with viruses; Soaring seed prices; Europe’s byzantine plant-breeding rules persist
Cystic fibrosis is a fatal condition that claims patients at an early age, so why does it persist? Soaring seed ...
How humans adapt: Research on 1,000 ancient genomes reveals how genetic variants swept through populations
Humans may be just as vulnerable to environmental change as other animals, according to our new research analysing genetic data ...
Evoking Jeff Goldblum’s ‘The Fly’: Does growing human ‘brains-in-a-dish’ and creating chimeras cross a bioethical line?
Bits of human brain growing in a lab dish can reveal a great deal about how a disease begins and ...
GLP podcast and video: Universities host anti-science quack Vandana Shiva (again); Communist Cuba is pro-GMO; 1 year of ‘bioengineered’ food labels
Dozens of researchers recently blasted two universities for inviting anti-vaccine, anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva to speak. Why do America's academic ...
Mysterious kidney disease epidemic flares up in Central America with climate change and chemicals suspected as drivers
José Lopez didn't want to die, but the alternative — having a scalpel plunged through his abdominal wall to install ...
8 billion milestone: Here’s the story of how Homo sapiens came to rule the earth
November 15 2022 marks a milestone for our species, as the global population hits 8 billion. Just 70 years ago, ...
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 ...
GLP Podcast: Smoking, drinking fueled by genetics? Women more empathetic than men; Enthusiasm for HIV vaccine wanes
If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, a growing body of evidence suggests that your genetics may have predisposed you ...
It’s not just humans that get COVID — other animals are susceptible too
Humans aren't the only mammals susceptible to infection by, or testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. There have been instances among quite ...
Cystic fibrosis chronicle: Why has the often-deadly CF gene not passed out of the human genome? And what new treatments are being developed?
Is cystic fibrosis (CF) a death sentence? It can be for many if it is not treated aggressively and early ...
The $100 genome: What breaking this accessibility barrier means for the future of genetic testing
In May 2022, Californian biotech Ultima Genomics announced that its UG 100 platform was capable of sequencing an entire human ...
Podcast: ‘Disinformation feedback loop’ — GLP’s Jon Entine and geneticist Kevin Folta expose web of anti-biotech groups — and their anti-vaxx, cult-promoting funding sources
The Genetic Literacy Project is a popular and respected science organization that promotes innovation and research using the cutting-edge tools ...
GLP Facts and Fallacies Podcast and Video: ‘Industrial’ farming unsustainable? Junk science and academic freedom; Oxalate, the new dietary bogeyman
Are our current farming practices unsustainable? If so, how do we make them sustainable? Academic freedom enables researchers to pursue ...
Part II: Nature is complex — Rewilding offers promising ecological benefits, but it is not the panacea its proponents contend — and can cause harm
Nature can be unpredictable, often foiling the best of intentions. And rewilding experiments gone awry are only a fraction of ...
Part I: Europe’s rewilding movement — A victory for environmentalism or a romantic, scientifically-debatable notion that does not revive ancient ecosystems? Or both?
It’s less than half a mile from the crowded marina to the site of cannibalistic excess — at least, that’s ...
What would happen if the male-determining Y chromosome continues to deteriorate and eventually disappears? The mole vole offers hope
The sex of human and other mammal babies is decided by a male-determining gene on the Y chromosome. But the ...
It affects 50 million Americans, and for now it’s incurable. Here’s what we know about the ear ringing disorder tinnitus — and its possible links to COVID-19 and vaccines
This past March, the CEO and founder of the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse chain, Kent Taylor, committed suicide. According to family ...
GLP Facts & Fallacies Podcast and Video: Curing ‘incurable’ leukemia? Cowardly corporations; Glyphosate hasn’t tainted school lunches
A new gene-editing technique known as base editing may have helped doctor's cure a young girls "incurable" cancer. Why are ...
‘The harder you push, the better you’ll perform’: Here’s how physical activity boosts your brain’s processing power
You have heard it before, but it’s now even clearer: Physical activity leads to improved performance at school, at least ...
‘The Hemsworth Alzheimer’s disease gene’: Revisiting the nature-nurture debate
It's frightening when your future health seems indelibly determined, and the prospects are not good. That’s what Chris Hemsworth, the ...
Viewpoint: ‘The Dawn of Everything’ blurs lines between scientific research and political advocacy
In 1885, Thomas Henry Huxley delivered a speech in which he famously declared that science “commits suicide the moment it ...
‘Time for a reality check’: How close is artificial intelligence (AI) to thinking like humans?
Last month, Deepmind, a subsidiary of technology giant Alphabet, set Silicon Valley abuzz when it announced Gato, perhaps the most ...
Podcast and video: GE chestnut tree coming soon? Tylenol doesn’t cause autism; Damar Hamlin-COVID vaccine controversy
After years of delay, a genetically engineered chestnut tree may finally receive USDA approval. Is it headed for a new ...
Evolution of humor: How laughter may have helped early humans survive and thrive
Until now, several theories have sought to explain what makes something funny enough to make us laugh. These include transgression ...
