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
Are boys really better at math, girls better at reading?
Are the human sexes distinct in their math abilities? In their reading abilities? Sex differences in math and reading scores ...
Realizing the promise of newborn screening
Geneticist James P. Evans argues that it is time to start looking at genetic testing through the lens of disease ...
Personal genetic tests can benefit everyone
Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of the personal genetics testing company 23andMe, says that knowing your genes could save your life ...
Lily Grossman: Medicine — and hope — via genomics
The utility of whole genome sequencing is debated, but Lily Grossman's story offers compelling evidence for its potential ...
Meritocracy: How social Darwinism made modern China
What role does DNA play in nation building? Can hundreds of years of natural selection provide the genetic basis for ...
The genetics of mental illness and the allure of gene-ism
The current reality of mental illness is one of blurred boundaries; new genetic results showing coming ground among several disorders ...
Breast cancer genetic testing gets covered by health care reform
Genetic testing for breast cancer will be covered under the Affordable Care Act, potentially saving thousands of dollars for women ...
Genetic engineering may help in mapping the human brain
With the completion of the Human Genome Project, biology’s next big challenge will be to map the human brain, report ...
Gene therapy’s breakout moment
This could be gene therapy's breakout moment: speculative venture capital investors are realizing the potential of gene therapy and are ...
“Adam” born 338,000 years ago in revised estimate
DNA collected from an African American suggests that the "genetic Adam" may have lived far longer ago than previously thought ...
Synthetic biology comes down to Earth
The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles Jim Collins, a Boston University bioengineer and founder of synthetic biology ...
Brain-net: Telepathic mice first step in creation of biological computer
Using neurotechnology, scientists have created rats that can communicate telepathically across continents. Some neuroscientists think the experiments could lead to ...
College genetics gets personal
Classes that deal with personal genetic results are popping up on college campuses with backing from 23andMe ...
An embarrassment of “-omes”: Which ones matter?
Forget the genome. We're drowning in transcriptomes, epigenomes, and other -omes. How many of these categories are useful and how ...
UK’s sale of personal gene data condemned as ‘unethical and dangerous’
Critics say companies could acquire personal information that would identify patients without their consent ...
Detecting the ‘genetic’ characteristics of malware
The battle between malicious software and computer anti-virus programs is continuous and ever-evolving. But thinking of malware in a biological ...
To claim someone has ‘Viking ancestors’ is no better than astrology
Exaggerated claims from genetic ancestry testing companies undermine serious research into human genetic history ...
The brain is not computable
At this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a top neuroscientist dismissed the idea of ...
Nutrigenomics: There is no universal healthy diet
The ubiquitous Food Pyramid (and newcomer MyPlate) offer the same dietary recommendations for everyone above two years of age, including ...
New guidelines on testing kids’ DNA
When and how should parents have their children genetically tested? Ricki Lewis gives a Cliff’s Notes version of the new ...
Searching for genius in the genes
Scientists have been able to isolate some genes connected to lower IQ, but the genes which help create high intelligence ...
Napoleon Chagnon on the DNA of violence: Do killers have more kids?
In a review of controversial anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon's memoir "Noble Savages", Charles Mann explores the uncomfortable biological realities of human ...
Can genes determine whether your kid aces the SATs?
More than ever, a child’s academic future depends on standardized testing scores. The pressure to perform well can be intense, ...
Bacterial genetics helps defeat antibiotic-resistant “super-bugs”
Genetic sequencing of antibiotic-resistant bacteria show us how they evolve -- and how to isolate and kill them ...
The popular (and misleading) view of DNA
Despite push-back against genetic determinism ("DNA is not destiny"), there's is still a popular reluctance to reduce the prominence of ...
The promising future of GM rice
Commercialized GM rice had not yet become a reality—farmers aren’t growing it and consumers can’t eat it. But varietals with ...
