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
Genetic entrepreneur J. Craig Venter to tackle the problem of human aging
Craig Venter sequenced the first human genome. He made the first synthetic cell. And now, for his next trick, he's ...
Largest-ever virus discovered in (and revived from) 30,000-year-old permafrost
A record-setting little giant---the biggest virus ever discovered---has been revived from 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost with little more than a thaw ...
Chromosomal fusion shows when you, me, and the Neanderthals evolutionarily split from great apes
Orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos have 24 chromosome pairs. But humans and our closest extinct ancestors have 23 as a ...
Without accurate genome sequencing, personalized medicine is a goner
It's hard to correctly read every one of the six-billion base pairs in a human genome. But without precision sequencing, ...
Horshoe crabs bleed for biomedicine
The bright blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a biomedical treasure, but harvesting the blood of these unique creatures seems ...
Slate slashes New York Times and Center for Genetics and Society for faux ‘designer baby’ scare tactics
The Center for Genetics and Society created a splash in the NYT this week with its all-too-familiar attack on mitochondrial ...
Can farmers reduce toxic agricultural chemicals by tricking pests with pheromone-producing biotech plants?
Pesticides are necessary evil in farming, and are likely to remain so. But what if we could replace some of ...
US grants a patent for fradulent stem cell creation method
The 2004 results of Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk's stem cell creation method were fake, but the U.S. Patent office granted ...
Video: When it comes to sports success, genes matter most
David Epstein, author of "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance" discusses the ways that human biological ...
A forensic approach to canine waste management
If you want to get an idea of how advanced a technology has become, you could look at the most ...
Germline modification: Should people have the right to be disabled?
We're on the verge of using genetic therapy to remove the risk of disability in unborn children. Would doing so ...
Artificial muscles from yarn and fishing line
From humble parts – fishing line or nylon thread – researchers have produced artificial muscles that can lift 100 times ...
We should use genetic engineering to treat disease, not fundamentally alter future children
The mitochondrial manipulation that the FDA is considering would start us down the slippery slope toward human experimentation with unknown ...
FDA asked to approve “three-parent” IVF
We don't know enough about embryonic development to know that IVF with mitochondrial DNA donors is a good idea ...
Promise of “easy” stem cells comes under investigation
Two breakthrough papers in Nature highlight a remarkable new technique for creating totipotent stem cells via a simple acid bath ...
Are genetically-enhanced Olympians coming, or already here?
Athletes may someday use today's gene therapy techniques to illicitly blow past the competition through gene doping. In fact, maybe ...
Human Genome Diversity Project preserves detailed info of isolated population groups
The recent "Genetic Atlas of Human Admixture History" shines a light on the useful, unique, and publicly available Human Genome ...
Memory — not perception — might be key to dyslexia
If auditory processing is at the core of the frustrating disorder dyslexia, then dyslexic musicians shouldn't exist. But they do ...
Ancient genetics may lead to future treatment for gout
We're susceptible to gout because of a mutated gene in humans and other primates that prevents us from producing uricase, ...
Gay people are not genetic aberrations
The recent gay gene "finding" hasn't been peer reviewed, doesn't amount to much scientifically, and opens the door to the ...
Ancient Native American DNA remains present ethical minefield
Sequencing the genome of an ancient Native American reveals more about American history, and underscores the difficult, delicate dance of ...
New bionic hand includes a sense of touch
Sensory feedback is what will turn future prostheses from tools into hands; a breakthrough bionic hand represents a first step ...
IBM’s Watson and DNA mapping to improve drug prescription process
Scott Megill hopes that his company can bridge the gap between physicians and geneticists and provide personalized patient predictions of ...
Genetic Atlas: Human history of moving around and fooling around
New statistical approaches are giving us our first real shot at pulling apart the genome to see when human populations ...
IQ gene? Uh-oh, scientists believe they have found one
Scientists have identified a gene linking the thickness of the grey matter in the brain to intelligence; it may help ...
New method of locating and targeting mutations promises “letter by letter” genome editing
A new method of identifying the exceedingly rare and difficult-to-pinpoint mutations in the human genome gives researchers unprecedented ability to ...
Rewriting the genome with surgical precision
New, precise methods for genome engineering, like CRISPR and TALENs are poised to change the face of genetic disease ...
