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: ‘The Dawn of Everything’ blurs lines between scientific research and political advocacy
In 1885, Thomas Henry Huxley delivered a speech in which he famously declared that science “commits suicide the moment it ...
‘Time for a reality check’: How close is artificial intelligence (AI) to thinking like humans?
Last month, Deepmind, a subsidiary of technology giant Alphabet, set Silicon Valley abuzz when it announced Gato, perhaps the most ...
Podcast and video: GE chestnut tree coming soon? Tylenol doesn’t cause autism; Damar Hamlin-COVID vaccine controversy
After years of delay, a genetically engineered chestnut tree may finally receive USDA approval. Is it headed for a new ...
Evolution of humor: How laughter may have helped early humans survive and thrive
Until now, several theories have sought to explain what makes something funny enough to make us laugh. These include transgression ...
XBB.1.5 spreading rapidly through the US: Why the coronavirus continues to confound scientists and public health officials
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is threatening to surge again. In the past few weeks alone, a recent version, XBB.1.5, has quickly ...
Viewpoint: Is the FDA following ‘sound science’ in green lighting new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm?
The prominent economist Milton Friedman said that in order to understand the motivation of a person or organization, you must look ...
‘Free to fabricate’ or ‘barred from teaching’? Discord over COVID underscores threats to academic freedom — and the public
Two scientists. Two prominent institutions. One is a tenured professor running a microbial research laboratory where she investigates mechanisms of antibiotic ...
Podcast: Battling omicron; Tide turns in glyphosate-cancer trials; Ukraine war softens anti-GMO movement—the biggest GLP stories of 2022
2022 was a dynamic year for scientific progress. The James Webb space telescope, launched on Christmas day 2021, quickly helped ...
3-years and counting: GLP contributing writer and geneticist Ricki Lewis highlights 100 articles on the COVID pandemic
Three years ago, health officials in China announced the first cases of infection with a “novel coronavirus.” Dr. Zhang Jixian reported ...
Analysis: Acetaminophen linked to autism? Claims about the causes of this behavioral disease get weirder as scientists hone in on genes as driving culprit
What causes autism? It’s complex, which is an entirely unsatisfying explanation for those with loved ones who suffer from it ...
Viewpoint: AI-driven medical tools could democratize healthcare — but they could also worsen existing inequalities
If AI works as promised, it could democratize health care by boosting access for underserved communities and lowering costs — ...
Live to 150? That’s what some AI algorithms claim is possible. What does the science say?
We’re obsessed with aging. In the quest to prolong life while remaining healthy, people have tried everything from turtle soup ...
Podcast: Should you clone your pets? Drought-tolerant crops work; We really need more antibiotics
Do you want to clone your pet? There are companies that will do it for you—if you have a half-million ...
‘Molding science to fit ideology’: 5 ways the Nazis leveraged pseudoscience to support fascism
Nazism is perhaps the most reprehensible ideology to which humans have ever subscribed. Its adherents started World War II and ...
Part II: Jewish skeletal remains in a Norwich well — Do they undermine the controversial theory of ‘Jewish IQ’?
Gregory Cochran, Jason Hardy and Henry Harpending, co-authors of “Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence”, did not clearly address how disease ...
‘The Price of Immortality’: How long can gene therapy and cellular regeneration extend life?
Book Review: Behind the Quest for Eternal Life—In “The Price of Immortality,” journalist Peter Ward explores the frontiers of longevity ...
How Freddie Mercury got his voice: It wasn’t his teeth
Was Freddie Mercury's magnificent voice aided by a genetic defect? ...
Podcast: Life-saving snake venom? Palm oil from gene-edited soybeans; Fighting plastic pollution with biotech
Believe it or not, scientists are exploiting venom from snakes, snails and other poisonous critters to make life-saving medicines. Could ...
Ancient humans didn’t get sunburn. Here’s how living indoors has evolved our skin
Human beings have a conflicted relationship with the sun. People love sunshine, but then get hot. Sweat gets in your ...
Part I: Intelligence, disease, prejudice — and Jewish skeletal remains in a Norwich well
Who would have thought that bones found at the bottom of a medieval well in England could stir up such ...
Curing insomnia: Techno-solutions like brain-altering apps and sleep trackers are proliferating but the solutions may be far more ancient
You will likely spend about 26 years of your life sleeping. You’ll use up another seven years just falling asleep, ...
Yet another study from the Ramazzini Institute claims artificial sweeteners may cause cancer. Here’s why scientists and regulators ignore it
There’s an epidemic of obesity and diabetes, and everyone is trying to lose weight. Many individuals use artificial sweeteners to ...
Women have a much higher risk of being killed by male partners. What explains this phenomenon?
One in four homicides is committed by an intimate partner. As many as four out of ten murders of women ...
Queen Elizabeth II officially died at 96 of ‘old age’. What does that mean?
Queen Elizabeth’s newly released death certificate contains just two curious words under her cause of death – old age ...
Did ancient humans experience depression or anxiety?
Operationalizing a perspective that discusses generalized anxiety and other mental health disorders without interpreting history through the lens of our ...
‘Lessons in Chemistry’: New Apple TV series based on best-selling book has opportunity to skewer sexism while challenging the ‘nerd stereotype’
I loved Lessons in Chemistry, the hit novel by Bonnie Garmus, and I’m thrilled that Apple TV+ picked it up ...
Lab leak theory backlash: Republicans back controversial COVID origins explanation, widening gap on previously bipartisan issue
In March 2021, three members of Congress sent a long letter to the director of the National Institutes of Health, the ...
