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
Viewpoint: More American Academy of Pediatrics missteps — Its questionable endorsement of allowing hormone blockers in children
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that pesticides are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that harm children. Absurdly, AAP also endorses the use ...
The bigger the animal, the bigger its brain? Not so fast
Scientists have long believed that, generally speaking, the bigger an animal is, the bigger its brain. But our recent study challenges ...
130 lung cancer patients from six countries given experimental mRNA vaccine as study commences
The first jabs were recently administered in London. There, researchers are testing a vaccine designed to hunt down and kill ...
‘It’s a milestone’: The disease-fighting benefits of weight loss drugs
Few drugs have achieved the stardom that semaglutide, marketed in the United States as Ozempic or Wegovy, has today. A ...
GLP podcast: Youth cancer rates ‘soaring’? No. Will AI help or harm mental health care? Confronting vaccine ‘rejectionists’
The media claims that cancer rates are "skyrocketing" among young people. Experts beg to differ. Artificial intelligence is bringing major ...
Viewpoint: AAAS needs a reboot and Science needs a new editor: The creeping corruption of DEI
Dr. H. Holden Thorp, the editor-in-chief of the prestigious journal Science since 2019, recently described on Substack a discussion that occurred during ...
Viewpoint: ‘Why does it take 43 years to build a nuclear power plant and 32 years for a GM fish to see a tank? Blame government regulators joining hands with the notorious activist-legal complex
America continues to lead the world in science and technology, but this is hardly a God-given right. Compared to the ...
Viewpoint: Nuclear power, pesticides, obesity and global warming: Examining the politics behind four contentious science debates
Gaslighting has now become a popular term again based on telling people not to believe what their lying eyes are telling them ...
28 years of research: Rebuking claims by many environmental groups, cell phones do not cause cancer
A systematic review into the potential health effects from radio wave exposure has shown mobile phones are not linked to ...
GLP podcast: AI will depersonalize medicine? Ozempic might boost sex drive; Supreme Court a threat to science?
Artificial intelligence (AI) could improve the quality of health care in many ways, though some doctors fear it could jeopardize ...
Genetic research and consent: Revisiting the Human Genome Project and ethical concerns
One person’s DNA became the centerpiece of a genetic sequence used by biologists the world over. Did he agree to ...
Glucose monitoring wearables for type 1 diabetes sufferers are a fad for athletes, and others are following. Let’s weigh the benefits—and dangers
Blood sugar monitors (aka continuous glucose monitors or CGMs) have been ubiquitous for people with diabetes. But now they are ...
Viewpoint: ‘Dismissive of science and the real-world impact of their decisions’ — SCOTUS has taken a troubling turn against evidence and expertise
The American public's trust in the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has significantly waned in recent years. The most recent Gallup ...
Clickbait viral headlines claim that chemicals are sending cancer rates soaring. That’s not what the science says
Cancer is widely misunderstood by most people. If you talk to anyone, they would know the term cancer. Most people ...
How anti-Semitism shaped the genes of Jewish people
Evidence of past outrages is not only in the history books. It's also written in our genomes ...
Fool me once: What is ‘genomic surveillance’ and how might it help predict the next global pandemic?
COVID took the world by stunned surprise – but, to quote an old Who song, we won’t be fooled again ...
Colchicine surprise: As America’s heart disease crisis escalates, repurposing an older drug originally designed to address a different malady could save millions of lives
“Live long and prosper?” Maybe that Star Trek Vulcan blessing needs a rethink in the United States. ...
GLP podcast: Treating brain diseases with parasites; FDA rejects ecstasy treatment for PTSD; $6 billion—the cost of baby powder lawsuits
A parasite that causes deadly infections may help doctors treat Parkinson's Disease. The FDA wants better evidence before it approves ...
The Human Genome Project: Inside the ‘most important biomedical research undertaking of the 20th Century’
The Human Genome Project was a landmark global scientific effort whose signature goal was to generate the first sequence of ...
Viewpoint: The word “toxic” brandished by Environmentalist crusaders causes fear and anxiety — but chemistry has proven that dose makes the poison
I’m sure you’ve heard someone say: “oh, I don’t use product [X], that is toxic!” Maybe you’ve even uttered a similar ...
Mosquito massacre: Can we safely tackle malaria with a CRISPR gene drive?
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing quickly decimated two caged populations of malaria-bearing mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae) in a recent study, introducing a new ...
Viewpoint: A ‘rolling wave of local media stories’ claim PFAS chemicals are toxic and contaminate drinking water. What are the facts?
Articles in a local newspaper in New Jersey and North Carolina demonstrate a national “pandemic” – stories describing widespread PFAS contamination in drinking ...
GLP podcast: China bans ‘irresponsible’ germline editing; losing weight causes cancer? Modern culture could drive mental health issues
China has banned germline gene editing, calling the technology, "irresponsible and not permitted." A recent study suggested that losing weight ...
Viewpoint: How vaccine rejectionists lie to you — and what are the consequences?
There have been at least 10 outbreaks of measles across twenty states already this year, an alarming and dramatic surge ...
‘The single most notorious killer of humans’: What are the true origins of the 14th century Black Plague?
It’s rare that compelling clues converge to illuminate a longstanding medical mystery: the origin of the Black Death, a bubonic ...
GLP podcast: Medicinal psychedelics in California? ‘Lead-soaked tampons’ debunked; Why prescription drugs are so costly
California is considering a bill that would legalize psychedelics for medicinal use. Is this a science-based effort to improve health ...
Losing weight can cause cancer? Here’s how epidemiologists’ studies can skew science to fit ideological viewpoints
As the century turned, the science community began to become critical of a once-honored field; epidemiology. If you are not ...
