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
‘Like a fire alarm and a sprinkler system all in one’: Immune proteins keep some COVID patients from getting seriously ill
Dr. Megan Ranney has learned a lot about COVID-19 since she began treating patients with the disease in the emergency ...
We needed an official scientific name for the ‘warm and fuzzies’: It’s kama muta
The phenomenon is characterized by feelings of intense love ...
Viewpoint: Social science dogma claims gender roles shape human sex differences but most theories as to why fall short
Scholarly debate over the magnitude and origin of human sex differences is seemingly interminable. As one might imagine, the arguments ...
Viewpoint: This is no time to cut corners on regulation of COVID-19 vaccines
With COVID-19 cases, the percentage of positive test results, and hospitalizations reaching record levels in much of the nation, the ...
Despite poor healthcare, Africa leads the world in controlling COVID-19. Here are some reasons why
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on healthcare systems worldwide, but many African countries have done a commendable ...
How mental health patients suffer from the overuse of psychotropic drugs
The standard of care for the severely mentally ill in the United States has drastically changed since the 1950s, when ...
Podcast: Polymerase chain reaction—The ‘transformative’ tool that sparked a genetics revolution
In this episode we’re taking a look at the story and the characters behind one of the most transformative - ...
Evolution’s ‘great leap forward’: When did humans cross the intelligence rubicon?
When did something like us first appear on the planet? It turns out there’s remarkably little agreement on this question ...
African biotechnology advance: Vaccine breakthrough could prevent ‘catastrophic’ tick-borne diseases that cost farmers $19B annually
Livestock breeding is expected to be one of the engines of economic growth in Africa as it struggles to recover ...
The COVID conspiracy theory that won’t go away: No, the novel coronavirus was not made in a lab — it came from bats
One of the conspiracy theories that have plagued attempts to keep people informed during the pandemic is the idea that ...
Childhood trauma: The kids are not alright, and part of the explanation may be linked to epigenetics
The old adage about kids being resilient and able to bounce back from early traumas isn't necessarily borne out by ...
Podcast: Can we harness the power of germline editing without inviting disaster?
Gene editing has moved rapidly from the lab to real-world applications in medicine, yielding novel treatments for diseases like sickle ...
‘Organic electronics’ poised to create edgy new products, from bendable solar panels to transparent books to human-looking robots
Electronics made from carbon rather than silicon could lead to a new generation of medical devices, sensors and perhaps even ...
How immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer care
More than a century ago, in 1910, President William Howard Taft made what then seemed a bold but reasonable prediction: ...
Viewpoint: The questionable science behind Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain hacking project
If thoughts, feelings and other mental activities are nothing more than electrochemical signals flowing around a vast network of brain ...
Viewpoint: The chilling impact of the virulent spread of anti-science thinking
"Anti-scientific thinking" is a bad disease of our time, and one which may affect a wide range of human beings, ...
Podcast: The Human Genome Project is 30 years old. What have we learned since its inception?
In this episode we bring you an in-depth interview with Dr Eric Green, director of the US National Human Genome ...
Viewpoint: Uganda battles anti-GMO, anti-vaccine coalition agitating against COVID-19 immunization
A handful of activist groups are now working in tandem to undermine Uganda’s plans to inoculate its population against the ...
Why evolution always goes in one direction
The diversity and complexity of life on Earth is astonishing: 8 million or more living species – from algae to ...
Viewpoint: Great Barrington Declaration arguing for herd immunity ‘takes page from denialist propaganda playbook’
When you’ve been examining pseudoscientific and quack claims for over two decades, you start to recognize patterns in the strategies ...
Final weeks to approval: NIH’s Anthony Fauci and FDA’s Peter Marks on what’s ahead before we can expect a safe COVID vaccine
As tens of thousands of people participate in phase 3 clinical trials on COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the focus is turning ...
Cut carbs? Eat less, move more? Why the spat between low carbers and calorie counters is pointless
Part of my introduction to nutrition was reading books my mom picked up second-hand at rummage sales back in England ...
New England Journal of Medicine sets aside 200 years of politics, editorializing FDA and CDC have been compromised, calling political leadership ‘dangerously incompetent’
Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options ...
Podcast: From Philadelphia to Baltimore—Tales of Chromosomes, Cancer Cells and Henrietta Lacks
In this episode we’re taking a road trip from Philadelphia to Baltimore, exploring stories of chromosomal cut-and-paste, cancer cures and ...
Viewpoint: The choosiness myth — Why are there fewer women in science?
In 1879, French polymath Gustave Le Bon wrote that even in “the most intelligent races” there “are a large number of ...
Infographic: 5 different ways COVID vaccines work
COVID vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, perhaps in the wake of pressure to speed approval beyond scientific reason. But I think ...
Video: Vaccine expert Paul Offit talks with Medscape’s Eric Topol on the pitfalls and promise of COVID ‘Operation Warp Speed’
[Editor's note: This interview can be watched in full at Medscape. Watch it here. Read a transcript of the interview ...
