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
Why the new malaria vaccine is just a first step in fighting this deadly scourge
With the Covid pandemic now in its third year, it is perhaps hard for the media and the public to ...
Humans arrived in Europe significantly earlier than previously estimated
Perched about 325 feet (100 meters) up the slopes of the Prealps in southern France, a humble rock shelter looks ...
Podcast: CRISPR can cause cancer? Vitamin B6 may fight depression; COVID ‘groupthink’
CRISPR gene editing has already proved to be a useful biomedical tool, but a recent study indicates it may damage ...
In the wake of Biden’s COVID-19 infections, here’s what regulators should do to limit Paxlovid rebound
When he headed the Food & Drug Administration, Dr. Frank Young used to admonish his minions that sometimes regulations need ...
Do ‘bionic’ reading devices actually work?
What if something as simple as bolding parts of a word could make reading a breeze, improving your focus, speed ...
Exploring Prophet Muhammad’s Hebraic descent
In the West, the discussion on the origins of Prophet Muhammad has been the subject of limited studies. Traditional and ...
GLP Podcast: EPA’s political weedkiller rules; GMO-derived beer on sale; Anti-glyphosate webinar review
The Biden Administration just overruled its own scientists at the EPA, mandating regulations that effectively ban the low-risk, effective weedkiller ...
IVF success rate is 30%. Genetic factors more than environment may explain why it’s so unsuccessful
It has been almost 44 years years since the first in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure was successfully performed in 1978 ...
The hapless male Y chromosome finally has a purpose
I’ve never been fond of the human Y chromosome. Yes, the all-important SRY gene sets the early embryo on a path towards ...
Transhumanism to humankind’s rescue? A new book claims we face a ‘make or break’ century, so let the technological remake begin
Ageing cured. Death conquered. Work ended. The human brain reverse-engineered by AI. Babies born outside of the womb. Virtual children, ...
Health and autonomy: How COVID has challenged already-tenuous balance among public health, religion and personal values
Exactly two years ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the time, 118,000 cases and 4,000 deaths ...
Podcast: Guardian’s glyphosate hysteria debunked; Intensive farming and pandemics; Where did dogs come from?
There's probably minute quantities of weedkiller in your urine. Should you panic? No. Will technological advances in farming reduce or ...
‘Disconnection, isolation, depression’: Long COVID has heightened our awareness of the critical role sense plays in life
The number of people experiencing lost or distorted olfaction has risen astronomically during the COVID-19 pandemic. One study indicates that ...
Viewpoint: When do politicians sometimes act like bacteria? When it comes to enacting necessary but politically risky policies to control the latest COVID surge
I’ve long noted fundamental similarities between bacteria and politicians. It might seem an odd comparison, but both groups are highly ...
Deep voice, height, testosterone levels, angular face, finger digit ratio, muscularity: Which male trait best predicts finding a partner and having children?
In a massive meta-analysis that was years in the making, psychologists from the University of Durham and the University of ...
Do-it-yourself oxygen: How astronauts could survive on Mars
If MOXIE works the way that scientists hope it will, future astronauts will not only make their own oxygen; they ...
Podcast: Pesticides cancel benefits of fruits and veggies? Drought-tolerant wheat coming soon? Do DNA diets work?
Do pesticide residues on food counteract the benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables? The FDA recently approved a genetically engineered ...
Humans sleep away ⅓ of their lives, but it’s a lot less than other primates. Here’s why
Research has shown that people in non-industrial societies — the closest thing to the kind of setting our species evolved ...
Why Paxlovid is far more effective than media coverage and some skeptics suggest
Paxlovid, the most widely prescribed drug to treat symptomatic COVID-19, has lately attracted a number of detractors. However, Paxlovid has ...
With sales rising, what does the future hold for AquaBounty’s genetically modified sustainable salmon?
AquaBounty is a biotechnology company that specializes in aquaculture. They’re best known for their development of genetically engineered salmon. AquaBounty’s ...
Male and female brains are different in key ways — and that could explain sex disparities in incidences of autism and Alzheimer’s
Scientists have long had of evidence linking immune activity to brain differences and disorders, but the science that sex adds ...
GLP Podcast: Non-GMO Project targets synthetic biology; What do our genes do? Time to toss your multivitamin?
The Non-GMO Project has targeted synthetic biology on behalf of consumers, but does the public really need protection from a ...
DNA and gene editing are the real stars of the new Jurassic Park movie
In Jurassic World: Dominion, the science is mostly accurate, the bioethics message obvious, and the plot adheres to Isaac Asimov’s ...
Legislating nicotine reduction? Some smoke, mostly mirrors
The Biden administration recently announced plans to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to “minimally or non-addictive levels.” This is not a ...
When blood relatives hook up: Is ‘Genetic Sexual Attraction’ really a thing?
Academic sex researchers will ramp up investigation of genetic sexual attraction ...
GLP Podcast: Epoch Times’ glyphosate hysteria debunked; Paxlovid rebound; Melatonin isn’t for kids?
Paxlovid is the best COVID-19 therapy we have. So why are some patients displaying symptoms after treatment with this anti-viral ...
Comparing primate intelligence: What’s so unique about the human brain that makes us so smart?
Humans are unrivalled in the area of cognition. After all, no other species has sent probes to other planets, produced ...
