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
We live in a world of conflict and competition. Why has kindness persisted?
Recently, I was walking with some fellow parents after nursery drop-off when we came across a five-pound note lying on ...
How RFK, Jr.’s science disinformation machine rolls on despite so many debunking articles (like this one)
The presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a reminder of the insidious imbalance of conspiracy theories: They are always ...
Anti-GMO activists take page out of anti-chemical and anti-BPA lobby, targeting the ‘black box’ of endocrine disruption
Anti-GMO activists are taking a page out of the anti-chemical lobby in claiming that genetic modification can disrupt normal endocrine ...
Pathological science: How can we know whether today’s ‘junk science’ will remain ridiculous or someday be vindicated?
Today, there is simply too much known in far too many diverse fields for any person to hold it all ...
GLP podcast/video: Elon killed Twitter? EWG’s latest pesticide scare; RFK, Jr. vs ‘Big Pharma’
Has Twitter (X) devolved into a misinformation cesspool? Once scientist says yes. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) claims schools near ...
Viewpoint: Florida’s Surgeon General is a menace to public health
Florida has many things to recommend, but the state’s top public health official isn’t one of them. Surgeon General Joseph ...
Feline evolution: How house cats and humans domesticated each other
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. One of the greatest thrills ...
How Spain emerged as the European epicenter for egg donations
Spain performs more than half of all egg donation treatments across Europe. The country is the largest provider of donor eggs ...
Body odor fingerprint: How your unique smell could help reveal cancer or COVID infections
From the aroma of fresh-cut grass to the smell of a loved one, you encounter scents in every part of ...
Here’s the straight poop about fecal transplants
Fecal transplants carry a certain ick factor for many people. But there is a legitimate medical use for them -- ...
Headlines claim that almost half of all drinking water contains high-levels of ‘dangerous’ PFAS ‘forever chemicals’. What does the science say?
The headline “New Study Finds PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water from 45% of Faucets Across US” led many news ...
Is there an evolutionary explanation for homosexuality in animals, including humans?
Since gay couples have fewer children, the high frequency of same-sex relationships in humans is puzzling from an evolutionary point ...
Why it’s so critical to move beyond liberal rejectionism of human biodiversity
The way in which evolutionary explanations can be so readily applied to apparent differences in human psychology does highlight the ...
On the anniversary of Kristallnacht, as the Israel-Hamas War rages, a DNA data leak of Jewish 23andMe customers raises fears of modern-day Jewish yellow badges
Tonight is the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass.” On November 9 and 10, 1938, Storm Troopers, ...
GLP podcast/video: BBC corrects botched organic farming report; Happy 41st birthday, GMO insulin! Scientific American a ‘scientific sewer’?
Facing intense criticism from experts, the BBC was pushed to correct a deeply misleading story about the benefits of organic ...
Viewpoint: Activists falsely claim Bill Gates orchestrated flare-up in malaria cases so he can ‘cash in’ on eradicating it
The eight cases of locally transmitted malaria recently reported in the U.S. – the first in 20 years – have ...
Twitter/X’s race to the disinformation bottom: Are we losing a valuable forum for rational discussion?
While many users are fleeing Twitter/X in disgust at the turn it has taken toward encouraging the spread of conspiracy ...
Viewpoint: Vaccine-rejectionist Jessica Biel’s foray into selling children’s medicine reinforces why she should stick to acting
The deluge of the use of the term "natural" for product promotion continues unabated. But perhaps it's getting stale because ...
CRISPR-based mosquito suppression system could reduce child mortality and aid economic development in Africa
Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Each year malaria infections result in hundreds of thousands of deaths, with ...
Viewpoint: Scientific American has become a ’scientific sewer’, promoting ideological rubbish on the evolution of male-female differences, claims University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne
I read this new article in Scientific American claiming that women constituted a high proportion of hunters in early hunter-gatherer ...
How to argue about ‘race’: Charles Murray and Adam Rutherford are not so far apart
Shortly before the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in May this year, two (now tragically ...
Will AI make biology textbook authors redundant? Here’s one author’s view of ChatGPT
I just used ChatGPT for the first time. Initially, I was concerned about my future as the chatbot near-instantaneously answered ...
Genetic medical astrology? Nutrigenomic DNA tests: Can you prime your health by tailoring diet and exercise to your biology?
"The promise of genetic testing is that it can tell you more about the way you're built so that you ...
How octopi can edit their own RNA to rapidly respond to environmental changes
How organisms rapidly respond to a challenge: For an octopus, that might be a sudden plunge in water temperature, which ...
GLP podcast/video: Artificial wombs coming soon? The dangers of ketamine; Banning glyphosate would be disastrous
Premature babies might complete their gestation in artificial wombs called "biobags" in the coming years. The anesthetic ketamine might be ...
Why worthless drugs sometimes seem to work — What we can learn from the FDA’s withdrawal of the decongestant phenylephrine
Last month, some of the most iconic over-the-counter name brand medicines took a hit. The FDA’s Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee (NDAC) unanimously ...
‘Judges as gatekeepers’: Court rejects ‘predatort’ lawyers’ claim that Lexapro used during pregnancy led to children’s autism
Judicial opinions don’t evidence a clear enough understanding of the scientific method and invite push-back from an aggressive bar ...
