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
Forget about counting steps—Fitbit, other activity trackers won’t help you much to get healthy
Activity trackers may create a false assurance - when people see how much they are walking on a daily basis ...
After early setbacks, gene therapy’s comeback nearly complete
After some horrifying early setbacks, gene therapy's back. Researchers have learned from early mistakes to make the therapy safer and ...
Native Americans fear potential exploitation of their DNA
To many tribal people, having a scientist come in from the outside looking to use their DNA to tell them ...
Americans unearth surprises about immigrant ancestors using DNA, genealogy tests
Advances in the size and scope of vast digital databases, as well as the low cost of DNA testing, have ...
How CRISPR could change the world—And why that frightens many of us
Gene editing could revolutionize the world in a way akin to how the personal computer did. Most Americans are unaware ...
How human chimeras could revolutionize science and medicine
The NIH appears ready to fund scientists who want to make and study human chimeras. What can we hope to ...
Men are from Earth, women are too: Sexes not so different when it comes to sex
There are gender differences in sexual behavior, to be sure, but with certain phenomena, women are far more similar to ...
Hillary Clinton: Evolutionary “grandma hypothesis” meets the grandma candidate
Grandmothers played an important role in the evolution of human social relationships and as generational knowledge sinks. Now women of ...
Genetic therapies won’t solve depression anytime soon
Can a better understanding of the genetics of depression lead us to safer, more effective treatments for the disease? ...
Artificial intelligence: Should we worry?
Hollywood has a long history of depicting artificial intelligence. But as it inches closer to making the jump from the ...
Nutrigenomics: Can custom diets based on personal genetics help you lose weight?
Several companies offer services that will match you with the best diet based on your genes. But can genetic information ...
Should next US President abandon the Biden-Obama ‘moonshot’ cancer initiative?
Obama's cancer-cure initiative may sound like a winning policy, but critics are lining up to suggest it shouldn't be continued ...
Venus may have once been habitable: Can we make it that way again?
Much of the focus in astrobiology has been about life on Mars, but what about life on Earth's other neighbor, ...
Matching brain with genitals: Complicated neuroscience of gender identity
Finger length, empathy levels and even brain size don’t determine our gender identity. But what does? ...
Gene doping in sports entails challenges and dangers but may not be so dopey
Athletes experimenting with gene doping may not be ethical, but it could lead to potential treatments of human disease ...
Should FDA crack down on stem cell clinics?
Stem cell clinics operating in the U.S. market cures for nearly every kind of disorder without evidence they work or ...
How will we use gene editing to treat human disease?
Technology for safe effective germline editing is not ready yet, but once it is, these are some of things we ...
Chemical fingerprints: Sensing emotions in a theater and life across interstellar space
How can studying carbon dioxide release from people watching a movie help us detect life on other planets? ...
Genome editing: Is it a national security threat?
Is genome editing really so powerful that it could do major damage, either accidentally, or through foul play? Or is ...
Message to college students: How your all nighters affect your learning and memory
The all-nighter is now as synonymous with a college student's life as the frat party, but it is detrimental to ...
Mitochondrial therapy—More than “three parent” babies—Stalls in ethical battle
Mitchondria DNA replacement is much more than "three parent babies." It might treat a wide range of diseases ...
Chimeric organ transplants: Science and ethics of growing human organs in pigs
Scientists may soon offer a solution to the organ shortage by growing human organs in pigs. But that poses prickly ...
New drug approved for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as mystery disease causes come into focus
Viruses and our human genes tend to co-mingle and cause structural and functional changes--is that what's causing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? ...
Jon Lester, Mario Lemieux, Lance Armstrong—Why do so many athletes in their prime get cancer?
Why do some studies show that athletes--the fittest amongst us--show peculiarly high rates of some cancers? ...
CRISPR genome editing could be game changer in war against antibiotic resistance
Using CRISPR genome editing, researchers are starting a new trend, which is to strip pathogenic bacteria of their acquired armor ...
Epigenetics, pregnancy and the Holocaust: How trauma can shape future generations
The fetus of pregnant moms who experience traumatic events are permanently effected? Are the changes passed down to future generations? ...
DIY CRISPR-Cas9: Should we fear or embrace programmable gene editing kits for the home?
When you hear about do-it-yourself CRISPR, you may imagine amateurs cooking up something dangerous in their kitchens. But that is ...
