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 are more kids being infected by — and some dying from — the Delta COVID variant?
Eighteen months into the covid-19 pandemic, with the delta variant fueling a massive resurgence of disease, many hospitals are hitting ...
Gene drive revolution: How genetically tweaked mosquitoes could tip the balance in the battle to contain malaria
It has been said that malaria breeds poverty, and poverty breeds malaria. This is the reality in many parts of ...
GLP Podcast: CRISPR-edited tomatoes debut in Japan; Regulating bogus supplements; Underwater farming is here
CRISPR-edited, hypertension-fighting tomatoes are on sale in Japan. Dishonestly marketed supplements continue to evade FDA regulation. Why doesn't the agency ...
Virus-fighting drugs are difficult to come by. Will COVID help crack the code?
Physician Claudette Poole doesn’t take long to rattle off a list of antiviral medications she prescribes to her patients. “There ...
‘Rebooting the brain’: Our fight to bring people back from the dead
We may be on the verge of redefining 'brain death' following the partial revival of a man in France ...
GLP Podcast: Don’t fight science denial like this; CO2-sucking GE trees; Organic industry hates hydroponics
A new book outlines a method for changing the minds of "science deniers"—and it's terrible, according to a particularly harsh ...
The dog nose knows: Bio-detection dogs can save your life. Here’s how
Stories of life-saving dogs who use their power of smell to rescue humans are legendary. One of the most famous ...
Video: Beyond the science ideology trap — GLP’s Jon Entine challenges media and activist misinformation on GMO crops, nuclear energy, insect declines and climate change
From rampant COVID vaccine rejectionism to nuclear energy skepticism to activist attacks on GMOs and CRISPR crops, anti-science ideology is ...
A daily pill to treat COVID could be just months away, scientists say
Within a day of testing positive for covid-19 in June, Miranda Kelly was sick enough to be scared. At 44, ...
GLP Podcast: Abortion muddies COVID vaccine debate; Coffee is heart healthy again; Genetics of homosexuality
If women have a right to abortion, does everyone else have a right to refuse a COVID shot? The "my ...
Viewpoint: Does mounting evidence for vaccine “durability” suggest we delay boosters for all until we learn more?
When President Biden announced that beginning the week of September 20, “anyone vaccinated on or before January 20 will be ...
‘Regulatory Wild West’: The US fertility industry is often derisively characterized. Here’s why — and what should be done
When embryologist Joseph Conaghan arrived at work at San Francisco’s Pacific Fertility Center on March 4, 2018, nothing seemed awry. He ...
Viewpoint: Did men evolve to be better athletes than women? Here’s a rethink
As the Summer Olympics gear up to kick off in Tokyo, Japan, on July 23—delayed a year thanks to the ...
GLP Podcast: End climate ‘alarmism’; FDA vs kratom; Is ‘GMO’ ice cream dangerous? Nope
Human-caused climate is occurring, but the science community may be amplifying the public's skepticism with failed "alarmist" predictions. Is kratom ...
Coronaviruses thrive in animals. Could a far more lethal COVID variant emerge in pets?
The recent suggestion that ministers may have to consider culling or vaccinating animals to prevent the coronavirus from picking up another ...
COVID vaccine and mask guidance confusion? Why we should cut the CDC some slack — It’s the norm when dealing with fast-evolving disease crises
There is continuing confusion, and even consternation, over what seem to be disparate policies, recommendations and mandates emerging in response ...
Baby talk: What we can learn from bats about how human moms and babies communicate
“Mamama,” “dadada,” “bababa” – parents usually welcome with enthusiasm the sounds of a baby’s babble. Babbling is the first milestone ...
It’s not going away: We need a real, non-political debate about the best way to live with COVID or countries will fracture
In 1968, at the height of the last great influenza pandemic, at least a million people worldwide died, including 100,000 ...
GLP Podcast: Climate change enhances farming? Lawyers target paraquat; NYT vs anti-GMO groups
Climate change could boost crop yields in the coming decades, but pests enabled by the warmer temperatures may offset whatever ...
If evolution encourages reproduction, why do people have same-sex preferences?
Same-sex sexual behaviour may seem to present a Darwinian paradox. It provides no obvious reproductive or survival benefit, and yet ...
How important is testosterone for male success?
There’s a widespread belief that your testosterone can affect where you end up in life. At least for men, there ...
GLP Podcast: ‘Big Fears, Little Risks’ — Documentary featuring GLP experts tackles GMO, vaccine skepticism
The evidence is in: genetic engineering promotes sustainable farming; vaccines save lives; and nuclear energy is our best hope of ...
The ‘storm in their minds’: How the gap between laboratory insights and clinical analysis is narrowing
When someone close to you develops signs of mental illness, you spring into detective mode. You ask questions, but the answers ...
Mice: The intrepid soldiers helping us fight COVID-19
As highly infectious variants of COVID-19 emerge and devastate regions across the world, scientists continue to rely on unexpected foot ...
Israel’s early COVID vaccine rollout went 1100% better than in the United States. What did they do differently?
[As of January 8, we had only] vaccinated 1.38% of our population [in the United States, while Israel had] vaccinated ...
GLP Podcast: Anti-smoking drug fights COVID; Designer babies unethical? Scientists invade social media GMO debate
Could a re-purposed smoking cessation drug help prevent the spread of SARS-COV-2? An increasing number of parents are screening their ...
Male investment: Humans are one of the few species in which men supply a lot more than sperm
Lee Gettler is hard to get on the phone, for the very ordinary reason that he’s busy caring for his ...
