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
Emboldened by the growing vaccine rejectionism movement, opponents of fluoride ramp up their campaigns
Regina Barrett, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in this small North Carolina city southeast of Charlotte, has not been happy ...
It affects 50 million Americans, and for now it’s incurable. Here’s what we know about the ear ringing disorder tinnitus โ and its possible links to COVID-19 and vaccines
In March of 2021, the CEO and founder of the Texas Roadhouse steakhouse chain, Kent Taylor, committed suicide. According to ...
GLP podcast: Assessing the Cass report; Fetal genome surgery could treat disease during pregnancy; How ‘body-tracking data’ threatens privacy
The recently released Cass report has intensified an already ferocious debate over gender-affirming care for children. What are the key ...
Fabricated and plagiarized data plague scientific research โ and the impacts are far-reaching and long-lasting
Far too many scientific papers are being retracted from prestigious scientific journals because scientists fabricated or falsified data. Although no ...
Personalized genetic cancer treatments key in increasing longevity and quality of life
Personalized, or precision, medicine applied to cancer treatment has its origins in studies of human genetics and the genetic mutations ...
GLP podcast: Golden Rice delayed in the Philippines; Ozempic could reshape our food supply? Exposing myths about cancer risk
A court in the Philippines has blocked the release of vitamin-A fortified Golden Rice in the country. What happens next? ...
Viewpoint: Hereโs why the U.S. cannot afford widespread rejection of vaccines
Two senior FDA officials, including Dr. Robert Califf, the agency head, recently published a journalย articleย entitled "Is Vaccination Approaching a Dangerous ...
Andrew Wakefield and the fabricated history of the alleged vaccine-autism link
The claim that vaccines cause autism is entirely false. Extensive research has consistently shown no link between vaccinesย and autism. In ...
Viewpoint: Should you be concerned when you read that a chemical in your food has been linked to cancer? Here’s an epidemiologist’s checklist to detect over-hyped scares
During the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, epidemiology ha assumed an outsized role in the public consciousness. It was pervasive ...
How IARC and other ‘independent’ global cancer assessment agencies can distort the public’s understanding of the risks of cancer
Cancer is a catch-all for hundreds of unique diseases, which develop when cells in your body no longer listen to ...
Why is it so difficult to find a treatment for Huntingtonโs Disease?
The Huntingtonโs disease (HD) community has recently experienced setbacks, but a new research report may reignite hope, from an unexpected ...
GLP Podcast: Anti-vax doctor claims COVID vaccines ‘shed’; Abandon milk and meat for the environment?
Do mRNA COVID vaccines "shed" particles? This anti-vax myth rears its ugly head yet again. Are milk and meat alternatives ...
Superintelligence, superlongevity and superhappiness: How billionaire transhumanists want to converge humanity and artificial intelligence
Many prominent people in the tech industry have talked about the increasing convergence between humans and machines in coming decades ...
Viewpoint: US childhood vaccination rates are at a 10-year low. Hereโs how fringe science views are seeping into the mainstream
Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year lowย in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ...
How taking LSD to relieve anxiety disorder can work for months after the chemicals leave your brain
Psychotropic drugs are all the rage now as a potential treatment of brain diseases. Examples are ketamine and psilocybin for ...
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing mental health diagnosis and treatment
Psychiatry was one of my early rotations as a third-year medical student just beginning clinical training. After years of exposure ...
Groundbreakingย pineapple-flavored spray vaccine could prevent urinary tract infections for up to 9 years
A breakthrough almost decade-long study of a spray vaccine offers promise for billions of women who suffer from urinary tract ...
Natureโs lost scents: Perfumes made to replicate extinct plants provide an olfactory glimpse into the past
โMeet Invisible Woods: a clean, refreshing scent revived from extinct flower DNA,โ beneath an image of โorigin flowerโ Wendlandia angustifolia ...
Yet another anti-vax doctor claims vaccines โshedโ. Where did this myth originate?
Itโs been too short a time since I last wrote aboutย the antivaccine myth of โshedding,โ particularly in the context of ...
Do the MAOA and CDH13 ‘human warrior genes’ make violent criminalsโand what should society do?
What can--or should--be done about genetic predispositions that lead to grim social consequences in only some of the people with ...
Viewpoint: ‘Enemy of Science’ โ Friends of the Earth renews its organic industry-funded campaign against GM crops
In 1969, a fellow who felt that the eugenicist founders of Sierra Club were not militant enough in their war ...
โRaceโ, anti-racism and biology
Using biology to determine the racial ancestry of human remains is racist. Except when itโs done in the name of ...
GLP podcast: Dangers of ‘diet weed’; Making insulin in cow’s milk; The conservative case for genetic enhancement
So-called "diet weed" is slowly gaining popularity across the US. Is this newfangled drug safe to consume? Scientists have successfully ...
GLP podcast: GE crops have lived up to the hype; Growing ‘mini’ organs from stem cells; How do we solve right-wing vaccine hesitancy?
Genetically engineered crops are nearly three decades olds at this point. What impacts have they had on agriculture over those ...
Power of placebo: Here is how the โbelief effectโ influences our views on nutrition, pain and mental health
There is a fascinating interplay between the power of belief and its profound impact on our corporeal health and nutrition ...
Curious what chickens cluck about? AI is decoding the language of poultry
Understanding chickens' vocalizations can transform our approach to poultry farming, enhancing their welfare and quality of life ...
GLP podcast: Why some deaf people oppose curing deafness; The dark side of embryo screening; Should states ban lab-grown meat?
Groundbreaking gene therapies for deafness are coming online, but they're opposed by a surprising group of peopleโa subset of the ...
