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
Have any of Earth’s creatures stopped evolving?
Some of the planet's more bizarre creatures have prompted some observers to suggest that evolution, on occasion, is stopped in ...
GLP Podcast: Smoking, drinking fueled by genetics? Women more empathetic than men; Enthusiasm for HIV vaccine wanes
If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, a growing body of evidence suggests that your genetics may have predisposed you ...
It’s not just humans that get COVID — other animals are susceptible too
Humans aren't the only mammals susceptible to infection by, or testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. There have been instances among quite ...
Cystic fibrosis chronicle: Why has the often-deadly CF gene not passed out of the human genome? And what new treatments are being developed?
Is cystic fibrosis (CF) a death sentence? It can be for many if it is not treated aggressively and early ...
Podcast: ‘Disinformation feedback loop’ — GLP’s Jon Entine and geneticist Kevin Folta expose web of anti-biotech groups — and their anti-vaxx, cult-promoting funding sources
The Genetic Literacy Project is a popular and respected science organization that promotes innovation and research using the cutting-edge tools ...
GLP Facts and Fallacies Podcast and Video: ‘Industrial’ farming unsustainable? Junk science and academic freedom; Oxalate, the new dietary bogeyman
Are our current farming practices unsustainable? If so, how do we make them sustainable? Academic freedom enables researchers to pursue ...
Part II: Nature is complex — Rewilding offers promising ecological benefits, but it is not the panacea its proponents contend — and can cause harm
Nature can be unpredictable, often foiling the best of intentions. And rewilding experiments gone awry are only a fraction of ...
Part I: Europe’s rewilding movement — A victory for environmentalism or a romantic, scientifically-debatable notion that does not revive ancient ecosystems? Or both?
It’s less than half a mile from the crowded marina to the site of cannibalistic excess — at least, that’s ...
What would happen if the male-determining Y chromosome continues to deteriorate and eventually disappears? The mole vole offers hope
The sex of human and other mammal babies is decided by a male-determining gene on the Y chromosome. But the ...
GLP Facts & Fallacies Podcast and Video: Curing ‘incurable’ leukemia? Cowardly corporations; Glyphosate hasn’t tainted school lunches
A new gene-editing technique known as base editing may have helped doctor's cure a young girls "incurable" cancer. Why are ...
‘The harder you push, the better you’ll perform’: Here’s how physical activity boosts your brain’s processing power
You have heard it before, but it’s now even clearer: Physical activity leads to improved performance at school, at least ...
‘The Hemsworth Alzheimer’s disease gene’: Revisiting the nature-nurture debate
It's frightening when your future health seems indelibly determined, and the prospects are not good. That’s what Chris Hemsworth, the ...
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 ...
