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
GLP Podcast: Activists dump grain during food shortage; The mirror lies to you; Anti-GMO study debunked
Last week, French activist group Extinction Rebellion destroyed 15,000 tons of wheat to prove its anti-GMO bona fides. The grain ...
Beyond neurodiversity: The dangers of ‘reducing diversity to brain-based distinctions’
The concept of ‘neurodiversity’ has gained enormous cultural influence in recent years. Computer scientists and ‘techies’ wear the ‘neurodiverse’ label ...
Why did the earliest humans leave Africa?
On a searing hot summer day at ‘Ubeidiya, an ancient site in northern Israel, an undulating expanse of dry grasses ...
Globalization of disease: COVID has sparked bioarchaeological investigations of epidemics in prior centuries. What have we learned?
The previous pandemics to which people often compare COVID-19 – the influenza pandemic of 1918, the Black Death bubonic plague (1342-1353), the Justinian ...
GLP Podcast: Ukraine war spikes food prices; Journalist sheds anti-GMO views; Creationism in schools
The war in Ukraine could have long-term impacts on global food prices. Can we prevent this dangerous outcome? A Japanese ...
Is there a male-female ‘orgasm gap’? Unlocking the mystery of female sexual selection
Every second of every day, across the face of planet Earth, there are 18,000 ejaculations of sperm, and 4.4 births ...
Rumors swirling around the web that COVID vaccines spawn variants. Here’s why that’s not true
Are COVID vaccines responsible for creating the multiple variants that keep hitting the world? I get this question all the ...
GLP Podcast: mRNA flu shot coming soon? Dogs really can’t eat chocolate; Marijuana-like ‘runner’s high’
mRNA technology gave us COVID-19 vaccines. Could it also yield more effective flu vaccines? Yes—maybe as soon as next year ...
New study probes reactions to discovering new relatives through consumer DNA testing
Late winter is the season for dealing with unexpected findings from DNA testing kits gifted in December. For most people, ...
Part II: How COVID upended the taboo on limiting constructive discussion about human biodiversity
The coronavirus crisis has brought to light the societal downside of ignoring patterned, population-based differences. Consider the latest research findings ...
Viewpoint: UN sub-agency IARC bungled cancer designation of glyphosate and undermined science of assessing carcinogens
Testing for chemical carcinogenicity using animals is timely, costly, and for some, morally wrong. Non-traditional data consists primarily of quick, ...
The humans we haven’t met yet
Everything that’s been called Homo sapiens, isn’t. In my opinion, far too many species have been lumped together into this one ...
GLP Podcast: Illegal GMOs in India; Anti-aging myths; Can social media ‘brainwash’ us?
Farmers in India are growing illegal GE eggplant in hopes of overturning the country's ban on the insect-resistant crop. Anti-aging ...
What’s the best way to reduce the risk of preventable cancers of the stomach, kidneys, colon, breast and urinary tract? 5 hours of exercise a week
A new report finds more than 46,000 cancer cases annually in the United States could be prevented if Americans met ...
Part I: Viewpoint—Many people believe ‘human biodiversity’ is alt-right code for embracing racism. Here’s why they are dangerously wrong
Why do some people equate the phrase “human biodiversity” with racism? And what does it really mean? HBD, as its ...
Next generation flu shots could be mRNA technology-based
The rapid development of mRNA-based COVID vaccines has sparked fresh interest in earlier efforts to produce new and hopefully more ...
GLP Podcast: Biotech fish ‘invade’ Brazil; TikTok GMO-sterility myth debunked; Bad diet and dementia
A genetically engineered "GloFish" is swimming freely in Brazil's streams. Should we be worried? Despite a popular conspiracy circulating on ...
Viewpoint: Eugenics has become unacceptable in modern society — except when it’s used to support termination of genetically abnormal fetuses
American partisan politics has just been inflamed by implementation of a Texas ban on abortions once an embryo’s heartbeat is ...
Will Homo longi elbow aside Neanderthals as our closest relative?
In 1933 a mysterious fossil skull was discovered near Harbin City in the Heilongjiang province of north-eastern China. Despite being ...
Lefty or righty? Is handedness genes or chance?
Many geniuses, from Einstein to Bill Gates were lefties. But left-handedness remains a rarity--only 1 in 10 of us are ...
GLP Podcast: Loneliness causes dementia? Parkinson’s-fighting GM tomatoes; ‘Sovietizing’ science
Loneliness could drastically boost your risk of developing dementia. Genetically engineered tomatoes may be our first line of defense against ...
For the first time, CRISPR gene editing tools were injected into the human body — and cured a patient’s blindness. What’s next?
More evidence for the efficacy of a groundbreaking new gene-editing medical procedure has emerged, deepening hope it will provide one-shot treatments or ...
Viewpoint: From forced confessions to believing that vaccines cause autism, brainwashing has a harsh history
In 1937, the longtime Bolshevik leader Georgy Pyatakov was tried in Moscow for treason, sabotage and other alleged crimes against ...
Pet love: Humans nurture their animals as they parent their children. Here’s the evolutionary reason why
Have you noticed more cats riding in strollers lately? Or bumper stickers that read, “I love my granddogs”? You’re not ...
GLP Podcast: Trauma changes your DNA? Lifelike sex robots; Have we cured leukemia?
Can traumatic life experiences leave an imprint on our DNA that we pass down to our children? Get ready, because ...
Some endangered species can no longer survive in the wild. So should we alter their genes to protect them?
Around the world, populations of many beloved species are declining at increasing rates. According to one grim projection, as many as ...
What science says about the future of COVID-19
With pandemic fatigue becoming more intense, there is increasing speculation about when the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, might become ...
