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
What are the prospects that we might soon face another coronavirus-like viral pandemic?
There are signs of a mid-summer surge in COVID-19 cases, particularly in the Midwest and West, that have some experts ...
Ignorance of our ignorance: What causes self-deception?
Self-deception is part of the human condition, and psychologists have long studied our ignorance of our own ignorance ...
7,000+ rare diseases remain untreatable. The genetic revolution and federal research funding offers hope for cures, but vaccine hesitancy and a lack of newborn screening pose hurdles
There are an estimated 7,000 known rare diseases affecting 30 million people; for 95% of them, there are no treatment ...
Mushroom hallucinogen sales booming despite reports of serious side effects
When a hemp dispensary in this Florida city started to stock edibles with certain mushroom extracts last year, state regulators ...
Characterizations of indigenous people as ‘savages’ and ‘monkeys’ permeate pop culture
Systemic racism and sexism have permeated civilization since the rise of agriculture, when people started living in one place for a long ...
Debunking Dunning-Kruger: It’s widely believed that the less you know, the more you think you know. Does everyone think they’re better than average?
John Cleese, the British comedian, once summed up the idea of the Dunning–Kruger effect as, “If you are really, really stupid, then ...
Viewpoint: Why do some global cancer research agencies claim that using a cell phone (like drinking Diet Coke with aspartame) poses a cancer risk?
Although some people argue that cell phone usage contributes to rising brain cancer rates, analysis of the data shows no ...
Viewpoint: To mask or not to mask? That remains a hotly debated question in hospitals and other healthcare facilities — although it shouldn’t be
During the years that the COVID-19 pandemic was murderously sweeping the world, it killed about seven million — more than 1.1 ...
New wave of migration: Transgender care crackdown prompts surge in families fleeing Missouri, Florida, Texas and other states
Hal Dempsey wanted to “escape Missouri.” Arlo Dennis is “fleeing Florida.” The Tillison family “can’t stay in Texas.” ...
What should you do when dogs have separation anxiety?
As with people, some dogs may be more neurologically prone to anxiety. But canine stress is often mistaken for mischief ...
How the U.S. is gearing up for a repeat “tripledemic” this fall as threats of a surge in COVID-19 cases grow
Is the United States out of the woods yet with COVID? The evidence is problematic ...
Prominent international tech-investors throw support behind vaccine-rejectionist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s campaign for Dem nomination
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latest scion of the Kennedy clan to seek the presidency, has a ...
Synthetic human embryos made from stem cells? Research into artificial monkey embryos leads the way
In January 2017, I met Jiankui He, the now-infamous Chinese scientist who would go on to create the world’s first genome-edited ...
Dial of Destiny decoded: What does Indiana Jones get right and wrong about archaeology?
As Dr. Jones returns to the big screen, a real archaeologist acknowledges the movie franchise's shortcomings while espousing its merits ...
Unleashing the swarm: Battling the global mosquito menace and defending public health
The Greek Ministry of Health has issued a stark warning: rapidly multiplying, stealthily infiltrating and carrying a deadly payload of ...
Will science ever be able to create an artificial womb?
In the coming years, the obstacles to ectogenesis --development outside of a mother from fertilization to full-term infancy-- will be ...
Should you get COVID and flu shots together?
Over the past several years, the medical community has learned, to its dismay, that we can experience a “twindemic” of ...
Immorality, lack of empathy, anti-social behavior: The evolution of psychopathological tendencies
By one estimate, as many as 20% of business leaders have “clinically relevant levels” of psychopathic tendencies ...
Revelations from the embryo: Glimpses into the prenatal period
Two weeks after sperm fertilizes egg is a critical time in human prenatal development. Intricate waves of signals stamp cells ...
Why are infants’ earliest months such a crucial time for brain development?
New tools are helping neuroscientists investigate why early life is such a crucial time for neural development ...
Viewpoint: Genetics of COVID — Research into why some people never got the virus should explore genetic predisposition to long COVID
Genetics might explain why some people have never had COVID – but we shouldn’t be too focused on finding out ...
Ramazzini — The backstory of the ‘independent’ Italian organization that partners with IARC, the multi-billion dollar ‘toxic predatort’ industry, and anti-chemical environmental groups
In recent years, the Bologna-based Ramazzini Institute has found the following substance or situations "linked to" or "associated with" with ...
Who bankrolled the early days of ‘race science’? And who backs that movement today?
Wickliffe Draper spent his inheritance helping to skew the science of human difference. That mission continues ...
Should I fire my therapist? AI revolution is coming to psychology
Conversational chatbots have risen in popularity recently, but when it comes to mental health, companies and users must be cautious ...
Viewpoint: Is the predicted ‘Silent Earth insect armageddon’ the inevitable result of using farm chemicals — or is it alarmist activist propaganda? Insect scientists challenge the doomsayers
For years, journalists and environmental bloggers have been churning out story after story claiming that insects are vanishing, in the ...
Most animals are born to walk. Why are humans so helpless at birth?
Big brains and narrow hips were long blamed for the relative helplessness of human babies at birth. But the energy ...
Luxurious, sustainable fragrances: Gucci develops perfume made from carbon monoxide waste from metal factories
What if microbes could transform the pollution and stench of industrial waste into luxurious, sustainable fragrance? ...
