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
About the musician who played the flute — during her brain surgery
A professional musician suffering from career-affecting tremors underwent deep brain stimulation. This procedure can help Parkinson's patients, epileptics, and those ...
Why does a drug work for you, but not for your sibling or friend? It’s in the genes
If you think you're not getting the same benefit from an over-the-counter medicine you've taken that others are getting, your ...
Transhumanism could push human evolution into hyperdrive. Should we embrace it?
Some people believe that we can enhance human life through embracing biotechnology and genetic engineering, but should we? ...
Fighting deadly adverse drug reactions through precision medicine
Lee Tan, a 41-year-old marketing professional and copywriter in Vancouver, Canada, was diagnosed with high blood pressure three years ago ...
Viewpoint: Rampage movie offers twisted take on CRISPR gene editing
Is a film based on a video game with fleeting mentions of a biotech buzzword compelling sci-fi? No. But I ...
Analyzing Kevin MacDonald’s ‘Culture of Critique’ and the alt-right’s embrace of anti-Jewish ideology
The biblical commentator Rashi observes that in order for a falsehood to be successful, it has to contain at least ...
Vacation hazard: Your gut bacteria picks up souvenirs, too
When we travel our gut bacteria can pick up antibiotic resistance genes in just two days. What does that mean ...
‘Game changer’ for Huntington’s? New genetic treatments on horizon
“It came completely out of the blue,” says James*. They had thought it was his father’s knees that were the ...
How ‘number crunching’ and big data has transformed the study of fossils, evolution
The field of paleobiology has advanced paleontology by using big data to analyze the history of life ...
Money magnets: Wall Street enamored by promise of human gene editing, gene therapies
Venture capitalists and investors are pouring money into the genomics sector, seeking to capitalize on breakthroughs in CRISPR gene editing ...
Regulating fast-moving consumer genetic testing industry is no small challenge
Submitting a vial of spit to a genetic testing company is easy. Understanding the implications — and regulating the burgeoning ...
We know the placebo effect is biological. Is it also genetic?
We know that the placebo effect is in part biological: expectations of receiving a palliative leads to brain changes. Are ...
Where do we come from? Question grows ever more complicated
It was recently discovered that modern humans are part of the African great apes family, but how did this classification ...
Mood disorders more common in children of first-cousin parents, study finds
Having parents who are first cousins doubles the risk of inheriting a single-gene condition, from 2.5 percent to about 5 ...
Examining the curious genes behind ‘magic mushrooms’
"One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small,” sang Grace Slick in Jefferson Airplane’s classic White Rabbit, conjuring ...
What’s stopping us from using CRISPR to gene edit humans to fight disease?
Emerging clinical applications of CRISPR editing include delivery of CRISPR systems into the body to repair genetic sequences. This is ...
Here’s what we really know about transgender genetics—so far
The week started strangely. On [March 19], the author of a new book on transgender identity emailed me, asking about ...
Viewpoint: We have much to gain from questioning the theory that humans evolved in Africa
The African origin theory reigns supreme. Every attempt to disprove the theory offers a chance to consider the evidence all ...
From GMOs to CRISPR: Making sense of how genetic engineering tweaks nature
Many new genetic engineering techniques have been stumbled upon by accident. Studying how bacteria defend themselves has led to CRISPR ...
Fertility clinic meltdown: What happens when slumbering eggs are awakened early
Fragile spindle apparatuses are an integral part to embryonic growth. What happened to embryo structures when they were thawed and ...
Facing extreme danger, are you ‘wired’ to fight or take flight?
"Fight or flight" reactions are much more complicated than we were taught in school. That fact has implications for reacting ...
Modern Victor Frankenstein? What synthetic biologists can learn from the classic cautionary tale
Mary Shelley was 20 when she published “Frankenstein” in 1818. Two hundred years on, the book remains thrilling, challenging and ...
Why the body’s response to pregnancy may help us better understand cancer
Cancer cells and placental cells regulate the immune system in remarkably similar ways. We can learn a great deal by ...
Space astronaut twin’s DNA ‘changed’? How some reports botched the story, and what we really know
When the Today Show reported on March 15 that the DNA of Scott Kelly, who spent a year on the ...
Fertility quest: How technology has fueled quantum leaps
Nanotech, artificial intelligence, wearables and biological engineering are among the new high tech ways to knock you up, stop your ...
Here’s what potential Mars colonists really need from Earth: A large gene pool
Establishment of a Mars colony will depend on genetic diversity, meaning we must send tens of thousands of colonists ...
Waaa! How do babies experience pain?
Researchers continue to look for ways to assess the pain experienced by babies. One recent study suggests that babies are ...
