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: Why the EPA mismeasures cancer risk of chemicals and what should be done to fix it
Every administration says it prioritizes getting the science right, and our current Administration has emphasized using “gold-standard science” as the ...
‘It’s not super useful’: As wariness about AI grows, Trump proposes rollback of healthcare safeguards
Paul Boyer, a psychotherapist for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, is experiencing the AI revolution firsthand. He’s a little underwhelmed ...
Facts & Fallacies Podcast: Nicotine vaping—public health miracle, or risk to children? Professor Cliff Douglas
E-cigarettes burst onto the scene nearly 20 years, disrupting the cigarette industry and leaving anti-smoking advocates uncertain about how to ...
‘Turbo cancer’ or mRNA cancer cure? Strategies to counter misinformation
Scientists are making rapid progress toward a long-awaited goal that could help to reshape cancer care: mRNA cancer vaccines with the potential ...
Gutting the National Science Board: How the Trump-RFK, Jr. crusade is erasing the separation of science and state
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump,” read 22 emails sent from the White House Presidential Personnel Office on Friday afternoon, April ...
Viewpoint: NAD is the wellness grifters latest evidence-lite longevity fad. At least the mice are impressed.
NAD has been discussed in the wellness world for years. In 2019, Jennifer Aniston mentioned it in an interview with ...
Facts & Fallacies Podcast: Limit free speech to blunt social media misinfo?
Information, much of it false, spreads at lightning speed in today’s digital age. The problem is more troubling than it ...
AI likely to improve health care, research shows—but not for blacks and ethnic minorities
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into health care, including but not limited to diagnosis and treatment plans, drug development, prediction of health risks and ...
Financial incentives, over diagnosis, and weak oversight: Autism claims are driving up Medicare costs
As we recently argued, the American healthcare system’s structure of open-ended reimbursement, subjective diagnostic criteria, and fee-for-service billing creates powerful ...
The FDA couldn’t find a vaccine safety crisis, so it buried its own research
Corrupt and Unethical Leadership at the FDA There is a particular kind of government betrayal that arrives not with a ...
Viewpoint: The state of U.S. vaccine policy? Dismal nationally, but some states are stepping up.
[T]he chasm between what gets said on Capitol Hill and what actually ends up playing out in policy has never ...
Viewpoint: Will AI democratize personalized cancer treatment or fuel medical misinformation?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made major advances in biomedical research. It has powered tools such as AlphaFold and systems that ...
Viewpoint: Are cancer rates ‘skyrocketing’ as RFK, Jr. and MAHA claim? The evidence says mostly the opposite
Clickbait headlines often obscure this reality and reinforce misunderstandings. For example, cancer is not a single disease; it’s a catchall ...
Viewpoint: How to counter science disinformation? Science journalist offers 12 practical tips
Science communications is not an easy task. You have to be comprehensive and concise, simplifying the message while not dumbing ...
GLP podcast: Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Food—health harming industries or life-saving innovators?
Fossil fuels, pesticides and food processing have dramatically improved living standards around the globe. This may be a controversial claim, ...
Regulators’ dilemma: Thalidomide, Metformin, and the cost of getting drug approvals wrong
Umpiring in sport is a strange profession. A cricket umpire stands for hours under the sun, matching the stamina of ...
Cooling the planet with balloons: Could a geoengineering gamble slow global warming?
The political momentum behind costly climate-change mitigation appears to be weakening, especially in the United States. President Donald Trump has ...
Science Disinformation Gap: The transatlantic battle over social media and censorship
Every day, the same post appears in two places at once. A Facebook user in Munich sees it with a ...
When superbugs threaten vulnerable children: Can AI help solve antibiotic resistance?
They are newborns, many of them less than two weeks old, and the race to save them is measured in ...
FDA’s expedited drug reviews are hailed in some quarters but other approval practices are problematic
In July 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a pilot program intended to expedite reviews for drug ...
As vaccine rejectionism spreads, measles may be taking a more dangerous turn
Eman, our informally adopted son who is a physician in Monrovia, Liberia, is recovering from the measles. He contracted it ...
GLP podcast: ‘Safe injection sites’: enabling drug addiction or saving lives?
With illicit opioids still killing thousands of Americans each year, some public health advocates are pushing a radical solution to ...
The FDA wants to make many popular prescription drugs OTC—a great idea. Here’s why it’s unlikely to happen
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary recently stated that when it comes to drugs that currently require a ...
Paraben panic: How a flawed study, media hype, and chemophobia convinced the public of the danger of one of the safest classes of preservatives
Public opinion driven by fear has immense influence in our society, especially when it comes to science and health topics ...
‘Science moves forward when people are willing to think differently’: Memories of DNA maverick Craig Venter
I was saddened to hear of Craig Venter’s passing at the age of 79 on April 30, 2026. Often portrayed ...
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
We’ve done a lot of debunks. After a while, they start to blur together because the formula is almost always ...
Viewpoint: The Casey Means hustle—Wellness woo opportunism dressed up as medical wisdom
I thought it might be a good idea to try to examine the underlying reasons why so many scientists and ...
