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
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 ...
Groundbreaking 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 ...
Nature’s lost scents: Perfumes made to replicate extinct plants provide an olfactory glimpse into the past
“Meet Invisible Woods: a clean, refreshing scent revived from extinct flower DNA,” beneath an image of “origin flower” Wendlandia angustifolia ...
Yet another anti-vax doctor claims vaccines ‘shed’. Where did this myth originate?
It’s been too short a time since I last wrote about the antivaccine myth of “shedding,” particularly in the context of ...
Do the MAOA and CDH13 ‘human warrior genes’ make violent criminals—and 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’ — 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 ...
‘Race’, anti-racism and biology
Using biology to determine the racial ancestry of human remains is racist. Except when it’s 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 ‘belief effect’ 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 people—a subset of the ...
Parents’ Bill of Rights: Vaccine wars heat up in states allowing exemptions for schoolchildren
Gayle Borne has fostered more than 300 children in Springfield, Tennessee. She’s cared for kids who have rarely seen a ...
Global ‘longevity hotspots’: What’s the secret of these blue zones?
Ageing is an inevitable part of life, which may explain our strong fascination with the quest for longevity. The allure of eternal youth drives a multi-billion ...
Tales from the front lines in the ‘vaccine wars’: Review of Peter Hotez’s Book, ‘The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science’
“If I don’t write this or stand up for vaccines, then who will?” That is what motivates the activism of ...
Treating tinnitus: FDA approves first device to reduce ear ringing
Tinnitus is a perceived sound that only you can hear. It might be a ringing, buzz, or tone. It arises ...
Viewpoint: Do you believe in magic? Many nutritional supplements are impure, ineffective, unsafe — and unregulated. That needs to change
Herbal dietary supplements (also known as nutritional supplements, but correctly called botanicals), once dismissed as hippie fare, are now widely ...
Genetic embryo screening for health issues and IQ inch closer to reality. Here’s a primer on what you can expect
The world of IVF has introduced a host of ethical quandaries. For now, Alabamians will be spared grappling the latest, ...
Addiction rewires the brain on a genetic level. As we learn more, new avenues for treatment come into focus
Addictive substances like alcohol and drugs can overwhelm the natural reward pathways in your brain, resulting in reduced impulse control ...
Viewpoint: BPA and phthalate hysteria — Venturing out of its knowledge zone, ‘Consumer Reports’ launches anti-chemical tirade on plastic food packaging
If you want advice on which coffee maker or space heater to buy, Consumer Reports (CR) is where you go ...
Viewpoint: Does Donald Trump’s authoritarian style and his popularity among ultra-conservative religious leaders echo the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Germany?
Each September marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s Nuremberg Laws, whose passage in 1935 stripped Jews of their German citizenship and ...
When in our evolutionary history did we become ‘human’?
We now know from evolutionary science that humanity has existed in some form or another for around 2 million years ...
Viewpoint: Weighing the costs of relying on government-reimbursements to address America’s ballooning fat problem
Giving everyone that is overweight or obese access to one of the new diet drugs would increase deficit spending from ...
Organ shortage and genetic modification: Tissues from 3D-bioprinting and GM pigs could address organ shortages but over-regulation causes lags
Modern medicine has produced many kinds of high-tech miracles, among them gene therapy to correct malfunctioning genes, electrical stimulation devices to restore ...
Genetic justice: Polygenic scores and ethnic differences
Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) are powerful tools. They gauge how likely you are to have a given trait based only ...
Russia’s shadowy disinformation war against the United States and its allies — Here are some of its key targets
Russia’s decades-old propaganda machine seeks to damage the health and prosperity of the country's adversaries. Ukraine and the United States ...
Viewpoint: Rejecting hysteria — ‘Alarmism’ over phthalates illustrates importance of embracing established risk measures
In October, in what could turn into a landmark case, a Missouri woman sued cosmetics company L'Oréal, claiming that her ...
