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
New app allows users to access their genetic info from smartphone
A new smartphone app, developed by researchers at Tel Aviv University, will allow individuals whoโve had their genome sequenced to ...
Being a good Samaritan could be influenced by genetics
Everyone knows the biblical parable of the good Samaritan. A new study suggests that a single variation in a specific ...
Does finding cancer mutations lead to cures?
We don't have drugs to treat most cancer mutations. So how does hunting for mutations help? ...
Craig Venter working on device that could send DNA over the internet
Craig Venter, who created the worldโs first synthetic life, is working on a โDNA boxโ that could transport genetic sequences ...
Thereโs much more to IQ than biology and DNA
Genetics doesn't matter more than teaching. Nature doesn't matter more than nurture does. They both contribute to intelligence ...
How climate change is causing species to evolve
Researchers in the new field of "landscape genetics" find that global warming is causing effects that spur species to evolve ...
DNA study shows herbal products not always what they appear to be
DNA barcoding revealed that sixty percent of herbal products tested contained DNA from plant species not included on the label ...
Engineered mice show jet lag could become a thing of the past
Scientists have discovered a genetic mechanism that regulates the effects of jet lag. While a cure for the disorder is ...
Using the Human Genome Project as a model for scientific success
Obama should take a lesson from the Human Genome Project if he wants his ambitious brain-mapping project to succeed ...
Why good girls like bad guysโDoes evolution explain?
In different cultures around the world, women are drawn to bad boys. The phenomenon is so common, in fact, that ...
Misunderstandings retard growth of personal genomics
Genome sequencing has improved over the years. But misunderstandings about the accuracy and value of the tests abound ...
The latest on Google’s battle plan against death: analyzing the genetics of aging
Google Venture's Calico plans to capitalize take on the problem of aging and age-related disease by studying genetics. What's known ...
Breakthroughs in prenatal screening
Improvements in medical science make it prenatal screening tests that can detect chromosomal problems in the fetus accurate and commonplace ...
Scientists turn to GM wheat to avert potential global crisis
Rising populations, new diseases and climate change threaten the wheat yields that sustain much of the planet. But, scientists have ...
Ethical issues as scientists peek into baby genes
Should genome sequencing become a routine part of newborn care? Is it legal, ethical, or even good medical practice? ...
Ashkenazi Jewish women descended mostly from Italian converts, new study asserts
A new paper in Nature Communications recharges a debate regarding the ancestry of Ashkenazi Jews, tracing maternal lineages back to ...
The delicious, religious debate over junk DNA
What exactly do "non-coding" regions of DNA do? As scientists sequence more genomes, we get closer to the answer to ...
Bacteria possible new source of biofuel
Researchers tweaked genes in E. Coli bacteria so that instead of producing carbon dioxide as a waste product, they produce ...
Could DNA be encoding our political beliefs?
As scientists further investigate the human genome, more behaviors can be tied to genetics. Is political leaning one them? ...
Steve Jobs’s legacy in personalized medicine
The tech industry's investment in personalized medicine and cancer genome sequencing is pushing the field forward ...
Are the ethics of Breaking Bad really Darwinian?
Darwin's ideas are frequently distorted and used as labels for humans. And TV shows. But evolution isnโt as simple as ...
Uprooted: The dangers of DNA testing
As genetic database grow, they become increasingly more useful, but it also raises the looming specter of privacy concerns for ...
Gene therapy developers aiming for release in the US
Of the several gene therapies that have already advanced to human trials, one of them hopes to seek approval from ...
James Watson’s genetic prescription: Have kids early
In his latest, potentially controversial, statement, James Watson urges parents to have kids early and chastises older parents ...
New patterns recognized in genetic profiles of 12 cancers
Researchers are trying to catalog the DNA and molecular characteristic of thousands of tumors, to seek out similarities and one ...
Gene tweaking for conservation
Researchers predict that 15-40% of animal species will be extinct by 2050, due to climate change and human activities. We ...
Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome: a deadly virus drizzle
Researchers study the genetics of an emerging respiratory virus to see if has the potential to become a widespread scourge ...
