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
The “right time” to have children
Are older parents trading the financial security of age for increased risk of disorders like Down syndrome, multiple or premature ...
Should Lance Armstrong be celebrated as a pioneer in human enhancement?
Technology and medicine are helping humans to go above-and-beyond our evolutionary limitations. As self-enhancement becomes more socially acceptable, allowing doping ...
Glaucoma risk depends on genetics and race
Research may soon reveal the genetic variation that underlies ethnic disparities in glaucoma risk ...
Neanderthal cloning: Morally wrong and scientifically challenging
Genetic imprinting limits the scientific value of cloning a Neanderthal ...
Biotech firms lobby states to limit generic drug competition
Some of the nation’s biggest biotechnology companies are lobbying state-by-state to limit competition from genetic drugs; this could add billions ...
Ten years after launch of Human Genome Project, the future is here
In April 2003, for the first time, anyone could freely read the fundamental instructions needed to make a human body ...
Bionic eyes may soon be available in the U.S.
For people with retinitis pigmentosa -- a rare genetic disease that damages cells in the back of the eye -- ...
Orphan genes spawn from junk DNA
Despite orphan genes' seeming incompatibility with evolutionary theory, they're actually an example of natural selection at its finest ...
Using genetics to predict succeptibility to depression
Current genetic tests for major depression have more to offer as a curiosity to a diagnostic or preventative tool. This ...
Human bone reveals ancient gene flow patterns
A 40,000 year old leg bone found outside Beijing reveals this man was related to the ancestors of many present-day ...
Human enhancement could turn soldiers into weapons that violate international law
Memory-erasing drugs to ward off PTSD; co-opting the physiology of dolphins and sled-dogs to work all week without sleep few ...
Stem cell showdown: Small business versus the FDA
In Texas, the science of stem cells has collided with a governor’s ambitions, a businessman’s optimism, a doctor’s faith, and ...
Can genomics help developing countries face their growing burden of disease?
For low-income countries, establishing health care genomics is expensive and requires infrastructure and skilled human resources that may be lacking ...
Safety of induced stem cells gets a boost
New research refutes a 2011 study which raised concerns over the side-effects of induced pluripotent stem cells as a treatment ...
Are we entering the age of $1 million medicine?
More than a quarter of the new medicines approved in the United States last year were designated for rare or ...
Safety of induced stem cells gets a boost
New research refutes a 2011 study which raised concerns over the side-effects of induced pluripotent stem cells as a treatment ...
Ron Unz on genius, IQ, race and meritocracy
What is the nature of intelligence and genius? Literally thousands of studies definitively show that DNA plays a dominant role; ...
Bacteria or virus? Your genes can reveal what ails you
What's giving you the sniffles? Is it a virus or bacteria? Your genes may offer an easy way to check: ...
Harvard scientists sequence entire genome from single cell
The notion that police can identify a suspect based on the tiniest drop of blood or trace of tissue has ...
Public health genomics: 15 years on
Genomic research was widely expected to transform medicine, ushering in a new era of personalized healthcare and disease prevention, but ...
Nature creates genetically modified organisms — including humans
Despite some concerns over the transfer of DNA from one organism to another to create genetically modified crops and animals, ...
Genetic effects on intelligence and society
Fewer subjects are more controversial than the study of genetics and its relation to just about every facet of human ...
Young and carrying a deadly gene: Do you really want to know?
Most people have a deep intuition that a life lived clear-eyed has inherent value, independent of whether the truth makes ...
Gene technology innovations reshaping future of medicine
The ability to map human DNA cheaply and quickly is yielding a torrent of data about the genetic drivers of ...
Evolution may contradict ‘dumb jock’ notion
According to a popular stereotype, intellectual achievement and athleticism are inversely linked. Now a controversial view of evolution suggests that ...
DNA tests target Native Americans
The Center for Genetics and Society, which takes an ultra-conservative view of genetic screening and genetic technology, takes a one-sided ...
The (epi)genetics of homosexuality
Although scientists have spent the last few decades scouring our genome for a “gay gene,” a new paper suggests it ...
