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
Are vaccines immunity ‘silver bullets’ to protect us against COVID-19? It depends on how quickly the coronavirus mutates.
Recent studies on COVID-19 mutation rates have revealed promising data that has given scientists across the globe a boost in ...
‘Public Panic Pandemic’: How our reaction to the coronavirus makes things worse than they should be
Deconstructing the epidemiology of a global panic ...
Can genetics explain the degrees of misery inflicted by the coronavirus?
“The single biggest threat to man's continued dominance on the planet is the virus.” Joshua Lederberg, Nobel Prize in Physiology ...
Podcast: Don’t treat that fever—Dr. Paul Offit on why many of medicine’s most popular practices are ‘overkill’
Vaccine skeptics, alternative health advocates and anti-GMO activists are regularly lambasted for ignoring evidence that challenges their ideology. As it ...
Podcast: Nothing about me without me—The importance of involving patients in genomic research
Kat Arney discusses why it’s so important to make sure that academic and commercial genomics research studies involve patients and ...
Herd immunity and where it fits in the fight against the coronavirus
During the opening phases of the coronavirus pandemic, government officials in the UK drew scorn from health experts after suggesting ...
‘Designed to be slow’: Why these coronavirus vaccines in the pipeline won’t be ready this year
New York City has become a curious mosaic of crowds and barrenness, people packed into hospitals and homes, yet familiar ...
Viewpoint: Coronavirus journal—Anatomy of a pandemic
The first case of what we now know to be COVID-19 was diagnosed on November 17, 2019 in Hubei province ...
3D-printed organs: Stuff of science fiction or an answer to the organ transplant shortage?
Among the more interesting applications of fast-moving 3D printing technology is its potential to help solve our critical organ transplant ...
Coronavirus can remain viable on everyday surfaces for up to 3 days. Here’s how to protect yourself
Disinfecting an area takes time and effort. And there is only so much you can do ...
Viewpoint: Anti-vaccine, anti-GMO groups use coronavirus outbreak to stir unfounded 5G-cancer fears
Leave it to science denialists to exploit a global crisis and tragedy to spread health hysteria. As the world struggles ...
‘Sophie’s Choice’ in the time of coronavirus: Deciding who gets the ventilator
Three otherwise healthy patients go to the emergency department with severe acute respiratory failure. Only one ventilator, required to sustain ...
Podcast: ‘God, what a mess!’—the accidental discovery of genetic fingerprinting
At 9.05am on the morning of 10th September 1984, geneticist Alec Jeffreys developed an X-ray film that would change the ...
In pursuit of coronavirus treatments and why we need to be cautious
It's impossible to keep up with entries at ClinicalTrials.gov that include the search term “COVID-19.” Last week when I posted Can ...
Searching the world’s remedies for novel coronavirus treatments: Can Viagra, stem cells or Chinese herbs help?
As the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to mount, so do entries at clinicaltrials.gov for potential treatments, reaching into ...
All the resources you need in the global battle against the coronavirus
Curious about the state of research into screening and diagnostic tools for the coronavirus? Maybe you want to keep up ...
Comparing the coronavirus pandemic to past pathogenic threats: HIV, anthrax and Ebola
How does the COVID-19 pandemic compare to other infamous viral infections that have plagued us in modern times? It's a ...
Podcast: Fighting blindness with CRISPR. Ophthalmologist in groundbreaking study explains how gene editing could treat a once-incurable disease
Congenital eye disorders can rob children of their eyesight at a young age and severely diminish their quality of life ...
Studying the African genome could yield new medical treatments for everyone
A broader range of populations should be investigated to avoid genomic medicine being of benefit merely to a privileged few ...
Delving into fuzzy forecasts: How many Americans are infected with the coronavirus?
In the absence of real numbers, projections have filled the void, and it's hard to know which forecasts to trust ...
Viewpoint: We’ll learn a lot from the coronavirus outbreak, but it will be ‘paid for in blood’
The coronavirus outbreak, now a pandemic spreading at an exponential rate throughout the world, is upending our routines, certainties and ...
How the “F” word—flu—led to confusion as the coronavirus pandemic unfolded
Thinking that a novel virus is like a familiar one is like assuming that a guinea pig is the same ...
Podcast: Can you inherit more than half your genes from one parent? Debunking genomic myths and misconceptions
Is there such a thing as a perfect genome? Kat Arney explores the myths and misconceptions about genetics, genomics and ...
The risks of using gene drives to get rid of ‘pesky species’
Using gene drives to eradicate pests has a potential downside—DNA is constantly changing. That means gene drives have the potential ...
Dark humor memes about suicide, death and isolation may help depressed people cope with their own problems
Memes are a simple way for people suffering from depression to share their experiences ...
Podcast: Treating blindness with CRISPR; customized cancer drugs; Beyond Meat v. critics; saving bananas from extinction
As genetic engineering reshapes intimate aspects of our lives, is the public on board? ...
Fighting the coronavirus outbreak with genetic sequencing, CRISPR and synthetic biology
We are better prepared for a coronavirus outbreak than a few years ago ...
