Human Genetics 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
Selling yourself: There’s a growing market for your DNA data
Citizen scientists are supplying the data stream to drive precision medicine ...
Male or female? ‘Our bodies are more complicated than that’
Society increasingly accepts gender identity as existing along a spectrum. The study of people, and their remains, shows that sex ...
Absence of a ‘smoking gun’ pathogen has stymied efforts to solve AFM mystery illness paralyzing children
What some are calling an "unprecedented mystery respiratory illness" is being reported in the Rockies and across the Midwest. Contributing ...
Are science and religion destined to be at ‘war’?
Religion and science are incorrectly pictured as warring belief systems ...
How anti-Semitism shaped the genes of Jewish people
Evidence of past outrages is not only in the history books. It's also written in our genomes ...
Can consumer genetic tests actually make us healthier?
“I believe genetic testing saved my life,” says Kim Horner, author of “Probably Someday Cancer." ...
CRISPR represents potential for huge change. But will the public trust it?
The charged language around the recent gene-editing controversy is driving an inaccurate assessment of risks ...
Can we control our dreams through gene therapy?
What drives our dreams? For most of human history, people thought dreams were supernatural--messages from the gods or visions of ...
We’ve long neglected the human virome—now we need to figure out what all those viruses do
A continuous war is fought on our body surfaces, and we haven’t a clue who’s winning ...
This gene gets blamed for migraines and a litany of other health issues. Reality is more complex
The story of the MTHFR gene shows that genetics is a probabilistic science ...
What martyred Thomas Becket and his holy lice can teach us about evolution
It’s a tale of murder, sex, and vermin. And gorillas. Reader discretion advised ...
Exploring Prophet Muhammad’s Hebraic descent
In the West, the discussion on the origins of Prophet Muhammad has been the subject of limited studies.Traditional and contemporary ...
Why you could be genetically programmed to respond to placebos
Confounding drug research, some people appear genetically programmed to believe the placebo they take during drug trials actually works ...
What the CRISPR babies can teach us about the failings of ethical oversight
This isn't just about process, about ethical boxes left unchecked ...
Some animal species never get cancer. What can we learn from them?
The search for clues has led researchers to study animals who don’t develop cancer at all ...
Viewpoint: Putting CRISPR babies in context—learning from the past instead of panicking in the present
The brouhaha against the gene-edited twins echoes recent history of alternative reproductive technologies ...
Why some types of obesity are worse than others
Where you put on weight is as important as how much you put on ...
Viewpoint: Let’s hope the Chinese gene editing fiasco doesn’t lead to a cruel and unnecessary ban on germline gene therapy
A backlash could be hugely counterproductive. So let's start with the facts ...
How tiny ‘organs-on-a-chip’ could transform medical research
Researchers have pioneered what may be the most accurate simulation of kidney function to-date ...
Hiding in plain sight: Exploring Parkinson’s link to the appendix
Lurking in the layers of the human appendix lie deposits of alpha-synuclein, a protein prone to gumminess, like sticky rice ...
Brave new world? Why the public might actually be ready for gene-edited babies
Gene-editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9 are rapidly bringing the possibilities forward ...
‘Reprogramming’ skin cells to treat chronic wounds
By reprogramming wounded cells to a 'stem-cell-like' stage could help treat chronic sores ...
Genes and giraffes: What do those spots tell us?
Giraffes' spotty exterior provides more than camouflage ...
Viewpoint: UN should reject a proposed ban on gene drives
A draft resolution would revise the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity to call on governments to "refrain from" releasing organisms containing engineered ...
As arguments rage over the sources of transgender identity, science weighs in
Discussing gender dysphoria and brain differences in transgender populations ...
Emotions and memory: How your genes impact the way you see and feel the world
How much of our emotion is conjured up by an experience seems to be partly related to our genes. Could it ...
Let’s say we can force the mosquito into extinction — should we do it?
Not many people like mosquitoes. So why not eliminate them? Newer techniques like CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing may make this possible ...
How Freddie Mercury got his voice: It wasn’t his teeth
Shortly into the film Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie Mercury attributes his magnificent voice to four extra incisors: “extra teeth equals extra ...
