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
Genomic studies find all humans did not originate in East Africa
The largest study of genetic variance across present-day populations in southern Africa suggests that there is no single place in ...
What does the $1000 genome mean for you?
The cost of genome sequencing is starting to sink into the affordable range. Should you save up and get one? ...
Re-evaluating the junk DNA discovery
Over the last few days, several interesting blog posts and pieces have cast doubt on those front-page claims that our ...
Could Bioimimicry solve global hunger?
Biomimicry or biomimetics is the examination of nature for inspiratioin order to solve human problems. The latest wave of biomimicry ...
Genetic blueprint of unborn baby in sight
Sequencing the whole genome of a fetus could provide a medical early warning on a previously unknown scale - but ...
Maverick ethics professor: “It’s our duty to have designer babies”
Julian Savulescu, the Oxford University professor of ethics controversially argues that “breeding better babies” is our human imperative ...
Transhumanism series premiers on web
A new high-profile digital series H+ portrays a world in the not-so-distant future in which transhumanism has moved from the ...
Personal genomics: New drugs target common cancers
Tens of thousands of Americans with tumors from certain types of lung cancer have mutations that might be treated by ...
‘Gene switches’ in ‘junk DNA’ control human health
The human genome is packed with at least four million gene switches that reside in bits of DNA that once ...
Unsung heroes behind those big genomics breakthroughs
Sometimes, when scientific research is done right, it may also be completely invisible to the public, who may never know ...
DNA sleuths cure hospital infections
In one of the nation's most sophisticated hospitals, genome sequencing helped cure a deadly infection that spread through the hospital ...
Public benefits of whole genome sequencing
Rapid advances in genomic sequencing technologies are making the possibility of reliable and affordable whole genome sequencing (WGS) a reality ...
Book written in DNA code
Scientists have for the first time used DNA to encode the contents of a book. At 53,000 words, and including ...
Dysfunction at FDA threatens medical genetics industry
According to Jon Entine, after a series of stumbles and scandals, the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to oversee the ...
Synthetic biology: Mutating the meaning of life? Some critics think ‘yes’
Critics of synthetic biology have long said that the practice should be known as “playing God” and argue that the ...
Golden Rice, set for debut, will be great source of Vitamin A, study shows
A new study found that Golden Rice is just as good, and even better than supplements and other foods at ...
Behind the hype on stem cells
There's a lot of hype about the potential for stem cells to revolutionise medicine, but the race to innovation shouldn't ...
Newton’s Law: If an apple hits you on the head it can rewire your genetic circuitry, creating a savant
Getting smacked in the head is no picnic, as most football players, hockey players, and boxers would attest. Debilitating side ...
Controversy heats up over whether or not modern humans may have mated with Neanderthals
Over the years, there have been many studies regarding the possibility of whether or not humans and Neanderthals really interbred- ...
The DNA Olympics- Jamaicans win sprinting ‘genetic lottery’- and why we should all care
Jon Entine takes stock of the DNA London Olympics–where, as usual, African-descended athletes swept the running events while whites and ...
New prenatal testing can detect more genetic problems
A new method of prenatal testing that can detect more genetic problems in a fetus than ever before could be ...
Human family tree gets another “mysterious” branch: Neanderthal-type species once roamed Africa, DNA shows
The human family tree just got another — mysterious — branch, an African “sister species” to the heavy-browed Neanderthals that ...
The future is now: Gene therapy to take flight in Europe
After many years of crushed expectations, gene therapy could be close to a victory: a regulatory approval ...
Vast gene study raises hope for colon cancer drugs
More than 200 researchers investigating colon cancer tumors have found genetic vulnerabilities that could lead to powerful new treatments. The ...
FDA balances costs, patient safety in the biologics and personalized medicine revolution
Sometimes what you see is not all you get. Whether or not you support healthcare reform, the implementation of any ...
Is Elvis in your children’s DNA future? Furor develops over possible use of ‘celebrity’ genes
A British artist’s plan to create a mouse with Elvis Presley’s DNA as part of a larger project to exploit ...
Is IQ in the genes? The PC hypocrisy of intelligence studies.
In his new book, the brilliant psychologist James Flynn, of Otago University in New Zealand, has revealed that, for the ...
