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
‘Hacking the Code of Life’: How gene editing will lead to disease cures and nutritionally enhanced food
In “Hacking the Code of Life,” Nessa Carey explores new technology offering the power to alter the genome with increasing ...
Ancestry tests underreport African genetic diversity, limiting benefits of precision medicine for blacks. Here’s how we can change that.
The newly-sequenced African genomes will help fill in the outlines of the origin and diversification of humanity ...
Here’s what you should know about disease-fighting GMO mosquitoes
Media references to Jurassic Park and 'mutant hybrid insects' are based on a thorough misunderstanding of this effective technology ...
A peek into the sex lives of Neanderthals—they may have mated with ‘close kin’
A group of 13 Neanderthal remains detail a story of inbreeding, cannibalism ...
Can we slow the progression of Alzheimer’s by seeding our guts with ‘better’ bacteria?
Male — but not female — mice had reduced amyloid beta plaques in the brain after antibiotic treatment ...
How a ‘dubious’ 50-year-old study fuels marijuana use by pregnant women—against the advice of health experts
Social media users extol — and health experts decry — a study from Jamaica suggesting cannabis use poses no harm ...
Viewpoint: Don’t expect synthetic biology to reverse climate change. But it could help, if we use it correctly.
There are several ways in which synthetic biology may have a positive contribution to our carbon footprint ...
‘Every sneeze, kiss, or slap on the back could be part of a larger story’: How the microbiome affects our social lives
Research confirms that who you spend time with is a powerful predictor of the microbes you carry. But these tiny ...
Hemophilia B—the blood disease that plagued Europe’s royal families—might be treatable using gene editing
Researchers are hoping to use gene editing to create more effective and less expensive treatment options--compared to gene therapy--for people ...
Podcast: Obesity, cancer and gut bacteria—how the microbiome impacts your health
Get your hands dirty by delving into the microbiome - the trillions of bacteria that live inside our guts ...
Viewpoint: ‘Superbugs’ are here to stay. That doesn’t mean scientists are powerless to fight back.
Although it sometimes seems hopeless, there are ways to put the brakes on antibiotic resistance ...
4 things to know about epigenetics, including that most changes are not passed on to offspring
Far more is unknown about epigenetics than is known. Let’s have a look at what we do know ...
‘Next industrial revolution’: How synthetic biology will transform manufacturing and improve sustainability
To create sustainable cities, we need to use synthetic biology ...
Chasing origins of anorexia: Are there genetic links to the complicated disorder?
Anorexia has long been treated as a psychological condition. But recent research, including a landmark genome-wide association study, are prompting scientists ...
Evolution doesn’t want you to be happy or satisfied. We’re supposed to ‘survive and reproduce.’
While the pursuit of happiness seems like a worthwhile goal, evolution thinks otherwise ...
Baby’s death spurs search for answers: Genetic testing, counseling offer insights, warnings for couple’s future
The effort to get genetic counseling where it needs to be is still an uphill battle ...
What sperm banks could learn from Fox’s ‘Almost Family’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ sequel ‘The Testaments’
It’s time for tighter regulation of assisted reproductive technologies ...
Probiotics as ‘living medicine’: Synthetic biology takes on gut diseases, metabolic syndromes
Engineered probiotics could relieve patients of metabolic diseases ...
Could blood from babies’ umbilical cords rejuvenate our grandparents’ brains?
Protein in umbilical cord blood rejuvenates cells in the brain’s memory center, improving learning and memory in aging mice. Could ...
Chasing freedom from food allergies through controversial oral immunotherapy treatments
An idea based on a century-old concept could soon receive FDA approval. But will it cause more anxiety than relief? ...
Experimental blood tests for Alzheimer’s could boost research, treatment of the disease
Narrowing in on diagnostic biomarkers could make an illusive disease easier to catch early ...
Sustainable dyes and fabrics created through synthetic biology promise to revolutionize fashion industry
The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions; that is more than air and sea transport ...
Oxitec’s GMO mosquitoes spread their genes in the wild? Separating science from hype after controversial new study
Did the mosquito experiment go wrong? ...
Evolution, the human diet and the meat vs. plant conundrum
Evidence suggests our hominin ancestors turned to meat when climate change reduced resource-rich vegetation. The signatures of these changes may ...
If pain is subjective, how do we measure it in a meaningful way?
You can’t exactly ask a rat to point to where it hurts ...
Tackling Stone Age stereotypes and misconceptions including this: They made tools out of more than just stone
Although most depictions of Stone Age hunters are male, women and children played a huge part in the creation and ...
Did a ‘flawed’ bioterror plot doom Netflix’s ‘Designated Survivor’?
The bioterror plot succeeded, in tone if not in detail, by illuminating the idiocy of white supremacy ...
