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
Will sugar, sweetener, salt, cholesterol, fat, HFCS, (fill in blank) kill you?
Scientists, the media and policymakers often make glib connections between certain foods, nutrition and disease. The links are a lot ...
Pig in us: Xenotransplantation and new age of chimeric organs
Xenotransplantation may move beyond just valves to entire scaffolds of pig organs, refurbished with human cells that make the organ ...
Should GMO drugs be perceived differently than GMO food?
Many of the same people who express outrage over genetic modification because it 'tinkers with Nature' are silent or supportive ...
Do you have the Ashley Madison gene?
The Ashley Madison leak has exposed the identity of millions of philanderers or would be adulterists. It raises the intriguing ...
Want to make money off genome sequencing? There’s an app for that
Helix, a growing DNA sequencing company, moves into direct-to-consumer genetics with a plan for the first genome app store. Will ...
Designer viruses and precision medicine: New findings for the future of gene therapies
Precision and personalized medicine have at their heart the promise of targeting diseases with specialized therapies specific to certain types ...
Black death plague is back; Correction it never left, thanks to evolution
Yes, the dreaded plague still haunts it. Why? Because as with any species, the bacteria that cause the disease have ...
Don’t blame evolution for war
Despite the chance of acquiring wealth and power, whole war doesn't make life better. But engaging in a little violence ...
ADHD mystery: Claims of no attention deficit disorder in France challenged
Some say low French ADHD rates reflect poor diagnoses. Others say they show ADHD isn't biological. Geneticists say they're working ...
Are laws pertaining to Down syndrome genetic counseling cause for concern?
A spate of state laws passed in the last few years mandates what information health care providers must give to ...
Miss your deceased dog? Pet cloning dips below $100,000
The pet cloning wars have commenced in South Korea, sending the price of cloning your dog or cat spiraling downward....but ...
Robot exoskeletons: Medical applications far ahead of military use
Otherwise non-ambulatory people are learning to use robot exoskeletons to get up from their wheelchairs. Military applications portrayed in science ...
Promising future of delayed fertility? Don’t count your (frozen) chickens
Affluent women or those willing to take on sizable debt and want to delay having babies can freeze their eggs ...
Meet blebb: To treat addiction, would you agree to have your memory erased?
Scientists have found a way to keep memories made while using meth from becoming permanent, erasing the lure of drugs ...
Genetics may open door to new treatments of mental disorders
Mental disorders are notoriously hard to treat. We now know that many psychological diseases are rooted in our DNA. That's ...
Bees, breastfeeding and epigenetics: Can nutrition alter our genes?
What a bee eats can determine Queen Bee status. Although our eating habits may not deliver us a royal life, ...
Sci-Fi suspended animation: Not the same as cryonics but might save your life
Surgical research into hypothermia, long fodder for sci-fi movies, may yet reach the point of finding ways to preserve people ...
While UK embraces life-saving germline editing, US mired in debate as promising life-saving cases go untreated
Thousands of women with mitochondria disease have no hope of having children without genetic editing or assisted reproduction techniques. Critics ...
Are imperfect, ‘leaky’ vaccines resulting in emergence of nastier viruses?
Some in medicine argue that 'imperfect' vaccines that do not eliminate all viruses from the host may lead to the ...
Is there a genetic switch that causes ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)?
We don't know the causes of ALS in most patients, but about 10 percent of cases are thought to be ...
Kuwaiti citizens: Register your genes…or else
In the wake of a suicide bombing, Kuwait became the first country to order mandatory DNA testing of all citizens ...
What you need to know about surrogacy
Surrogacy is a complex and often controversial practice. Here's a primer on the advantages and disadvantages of surrogacy options ...
New wave of HIV vaccines: Promises that can be fulfilled or more pipe dreams?
A cure for AIDS has remained elusive despite occasional if brief bursts of research optimism. We again are witnessing a ...
Star Trek, synbio and sustainable food: Will Friends of the Earth and other activists block the future?
Far as we are from instantaneous synthesis of food on command, advances in synbio and genetic engineering offer a glimpse ...
A rabbi and an alien walk into a bar: What happens when religious leaders meet extraterrestrials?
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) presents a challenge for the major religions, who might find themselves threatened if alien ...
Water: California drought yet water bottles everywhere
Humanity's future depends on how we manage our interactions with water. This takes the form of how we package it, ...
Neuroscience of free will: Does reaching for beer with robotic arm mean free will doesn’t exist?
If we can predict a person’s intentions by picking up brain signals then how 'free' is our will and are ...
