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
Viewpoint: Believing that we’ll have a COVID-19 vaccine anytime soon is naive
The odds that we will have a safe, effective vaccine by January are vanishingly small ...
‘Sugar is the villain’: Biohacking and synthetic biology do battle against diabetes and heart disease
Here’s a look into the next generation of low-calorie sugar alternatives and continuous glucose monitoring systems set to change the ...
Understanding why the coronavirus can make some people so sick
Why is the coronavirus deadlier than the flu? ...
Viewpoint: Time to stop thinking of testosterone as a ‘magic male molecule’
Aggression is not correlated with high levels of testosterone ...
What we can learn from Sweden’s controversial—and seemingly effective—coronavirus strategy
Life in lockdown is slowly becoming a rather grim norm for millions of citizens across the globe as the response ...
Coronavirus immunity passports could create a world of ‘us and them’. But here’s why they make sense
Dividing groups of people into “us” and “them” isn’t usually a good idea, but in the scary new world of ...
If we want to go to Mars, we’ll need to figure out how to feed our astronauts. Synthetic biology can help.
Revolutionary food production and closed-loop biomanufacturing could transform human space travel and address the growing food crisis on Earth ...
Podcast: Tracing humanity’s roots: uncovering history and genetic diversity in Africa
We explore the genetic diversity in the birthplace of humanity and discover the cultural and historical stories written in the ...
Stanford’s John Ioannidis refines study suggesting coronavirus global lockdown “may be totally irrational,” acknowledging “more uncertainties”
John Ioannidis answers Undark’s questions on his controversial antibody study and participation in partisan media ...
The tricky path for using stem cells to treat coronavirus-ravaged lungs
The coronavirus pandemic has unleashed a wave of repurposing efforts, from old malaria drugs prescribed off-label to anti-virals stalled in ...
Viewpoint: ‘We can’t afford miscommunication or bureaucratic foot-dragging’ in the quest for a coronavirus vaccine
A draft government report forecasts the possibility of about 200,000 new cases of COVID-19 each day by the end of ...
Podcast: We need a vaccine ‘Manhattan Project’ to defeat COVID-19
The only way to truly end the novel coronavirus pandemic is to develop an effective vaccine. And while there are ...
‘Denial, blame, and conspiratorial thinking’: Anti-vaxxers’ dangerous rhetoric during coronavirus pandemic
So far, the responses from major players wear down a familiar path of conspiratorial thinking and government mistrust ...
Coronavirus vaccines can’t be rushed: We could have one ‘overnight,’ but it has to be proven safe and effective
Scientists across the globe are racing to develop a vaccine that can protect against COVID-19. The global effort has led ...
Quest for coronavirus treatment inspires modern twist on antique technique using survivors’ plasma
There's no shortage of research efforts looking for ways to stop, or at least slow down, the novel coronavirus. Of ...
Viewpoint: Anti-vax group says ‘the elite’ are using COVID-19 to usher in a ‘techno-communist global government’
Children's Health Defense says governments and corporations are using the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) to advance a "global immunization agenda." The anti-vaccine ...
Podcast: Twisted history—The true story of how the DNA double helix was discovered
There's more to the story of the double helix than Watson and Crick. We unwind history to uncover some of ...
Is the lockdown an overreaction? Uproar over epidemiologist John Ioannidis’ study minimizing coronavirus risks
For his Covid-19 work, the Stanford scientist John Ioannidis is being accused of the same bad science he has criticized ...
If remdesivir trials fail, an effective treatment for the coronavirus may be far off
It's only one trial, and we don't even know if the report is correct. But a leaked draft report indicated ...
‘A cleaner kill’: Harnessing the body’s immune system to battle cancer
What if your immune system could kill cancers in the same way it does colds and flu? This concept may ...
‘At home’ coronavirus test? How CRISPR could change the way we search for COVID-19
If we take the advice of health experts, we won't be attempting a return to normal life in the US ...
Gods of genetic engineering: With the end of ‘Homo sapiens naturalis’ approaching, what is our place in nature?
Our society has evolved so much, can we still say that we are part of Nature? If not, should we ...
We’re using a lot of experimental coronavirus treatments. That could make it harder to figure out what works
Use of unproven treatments like hydroxychloroquine could be obscuring clinical trials of other interventions ...
Viewpoint: How precautionary public health policy turned coronavirus into a ‘global train wreck’
Worldwide coronavirus response was a failure in risk management ...
How Liberia’s decisive response to contain the Ebola outbreak provides a blueprint for how to manage the coronavirus and future pandemics
In April of 2014, an outbreak of a disease named after the Ebola River in Congo was reported in Guinea, ...
What comic book super heroes and villains tell us about plant and human gene editing – and the coronavirus
Understanding gene editing with comic book figures ...
Podcast: Coronavirus ‘antidote’ from recovered patient blood? Did the virus escape from a lab? Anti-science activism causes needless harm
While political leaders and scientists speculate that coronavirus is beginning to loosen its grip on the world, hospitals are considering ...
