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
Trump wants an AI Force like Space Force, but that could make AI’s risks harder to manage
Artificial intelligence dominated the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2026. Ahead of the ...
‘Forever chemical’ concerns: Separating hysteria from reasonable concern in the debate over PFAS danger
PFAS have become a flashpoint in the debate over public health, environmental protection, and chemical regulation—but are millions of very ...
Should fossil fuel companies be shielded from lawsuits over climate change damage? The Supreme Court takes up the question
Climate change is causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage every year from floods, fires, droughts and other consequences of ...
Viewpoint: Wellness movement activists reposition nicotine from a killer addictive drug into a cure-all for brain ills
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and ...
The kooky logic behind the raft of spurious cancer claims from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health
It would shock you to know that Costco, according to a new Harvard School of Public Health methodology, caused 120,687 ...
‘They misunderstand science’: Research attempting to tie autism to changes in the gut microbiome comes under fire
Obesity, liver disease, diabetes, and cancer are all chronic diseases that inflict misery across millions of patients. Imagine if bacteria ...
Viewpoint: Even lousy scientific articles can shield authors when they hype dubious health claims and products
Peer review in reputable journals gives scientific claims an authority that commercial speech rarely enjoys. But what happens when scientists ...
The exploding controversy over AI’s built-in survival drive
In controlled safety tests described earlier this year, researchers asked AI models to solve a series of simple math problems ...
Viewpoint: Activist environmental NGOs are turning from public funding to activist billionaires to support their campaigns. It won’t end well.
Environmental-Health Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are going through a difficult period with the decline in public funding, the increase in scrutiny ...
Viewpoint: SCOTUS poised to address First Amendment tension between mandatory vaccines, children’s health and religious freedom
A mother in New York State who claims to oppose vaccines because of her Catholic faith lost an emergency appeal ...
‘We are dangerously addicted to antidepressants’: Should we heed RFK Jr.’s sobering warning?
Drugs for treating depression are among the most prescribed category of medications in the U.S. – 1 in 6 American adults ...
Viewpoint: Why do online health lies outlive the evidence that debunks them? Read “Everyone Else Is Lying to You”
Medical misinformation has a peculiar advantage: it can outlive the evidence that disproves it, especially when yesterday’s contrarians become today’s ...
Investigative group ProPublica finds links between ectopic pregnancy deaths and abortion bans
This story was originally published by ProPublica. The number of women who died after an ectopic pregnancy has spiked in recent ...
Viewpoint: The fake controversy over whether combining childhood vaccines is dangerous— a debate science resolved 25 years ago
For inexplicable reasons, the vaccine spacing debate has popped up yet again, courtesy of President Trump's executive order revisiting childhood ...
Viewpoint: Why medical and health nonsense spreads so casually on pop culture media
I landed on a show hosted by two women. I’ve heard people talk about it, so I gave it a ...
19%: Plunging support for Trump-RFK, Jr. measles vaccine safety oversight
Two new polls reveal cracks in both US and global trust in medicine, with one showing erosion in Americans’ belief ...
How much of a problem is AI’s water use?
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine. “Protect our water,” “Water for people not AI,” “Don’t mess with our ...
Viewpoint: Study links childhood vaccination to autism!!! Here’s how anti-vaxxers twist evidence to corrupt science
A viral post on X claims the “largest vaccinated vs. unvaccinated birth cohort study ever” found vaccinated children far sicker ...
Viewpoint: How to ecologically damage America’s forests: Ban glyphosate
A recent Mother Jones’ investigation ran under the headline “We Are Bombarding America’s Forests With Roundup.” The authors claim that ...
Viewpoint: Dubious environmental fears: Why the AI buildout is critical to America’s ecological future
Opposition to artificial intelligence has intensified over the past year. A majority of Americans worry that AI will kill jobs, ...
AI is helping develop new vaccines
In the early 2000s, immunologist Bali Pulendran started his lab at Emory University to explore the mechanisms underlying vaccine-mediated immunity ...
Viewpoint: Trump-RFK Jr. report on “Gender Ideology & Left-wing Ideology’ targets LGBTQ community—and science
A new study from the Trump administration is sending alarm bells through pro-democracy groups for its potential to fuel a ...
Viewpoint: What’s the likely impact when the EPA loosens rules limiting methane pollution from oil and gas wells?
This story was originally published by ProPublica. The Trump administration is poised to loosen environmental restrictions on oil and gas wells ...
Viewpoint: Childhood deaths in dispute: Why the CDC vs Pennsylvania conflict over measles vaccines matters
If you’ve been following the dispute between Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ...
Viewpoint: Emotion-driven stories of doctors allegedly ignoring patient concerns are driving vaccine hesitancy
As long as there have been vaccines, there have been people who doubted their science and safety. Back in 19th-century ...
Viewpoint: Bad science—Five bogus Trump administration claims about vaccines and autism
[On August 10, 2026], the president signed an unprecedented executive order declaring the administration’s intention to massively overhaul the vaccine ...
“Hit the brakes”: Anthropic warns the race to superintelligence could spawn internet-seizing AI swarms—and empower authoritarians. Here’s how to stop it.
I have worked on AI for the last twelve years because I believe it could dramatically raise the quality of ...
