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
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 ...
Steve Jobs’s legacy in personalized medicine
The tech industry's investment in personalized medicine and cancer genome sequencing is pushing the field forward ...
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? ...
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 isn’t 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
DNA testing could prove valuable tool for identifying viral infections, including MERS
New research shows that genetic testing can be used for quick and highly accurate results in testing for viral infections, ...
Innovations in neuroscience trigger shifting views in the treatment of mental illness
Innovations in neuroscience are changing the way scientists see the brain, which could lead to more effective treatment of mental ...
Having one baby to save another
A couple plan to have specialized IVF so they can have a second baby and use umbilical cord blood to ...
Poverty can trump a winning hand of genes
For rich kids, IQ is genetic. But for the poor, lucking out--managing to get educational opportunities--matters more than genetics ...
A clearer picture of the mind in real-time brain imaging
Real time brain scans allowed subjects in a recent study to better control brain activity. Researchers hope this will lead ...
Is creative ability determined by our DNA?
Is creativity something we're born with or something that we learn? New research suggests that a person's creative ability is ...
Warning sounded over three-parent IVF safety
Just three months after the UK started working toward mitochondria replacement therapy to circumvent genetic diseases, researchers are sounding an ...
Genetic condition often misdiagnosed as autism
Up to half of children with a genetic disorder are mistakenly diagnosed with autism, and the treatment can make the ...
Oxitec’s GM olive fly first GM insect to undergo field evaluations in EU
Oxitec has developed a GM olive fly that could be a tool in ending the devastation that olive flies bring ...
First hint that lifestyle changes may reverse cellular aging
A study with a tiny sample size shows that exercise, diet, and meditation can actually increase telomere length in prostate ...
