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
โTurbo cancerโ or mRNA cancer cure: Strategies to counter misinformation
Scientists are making rapid progress toward a long-awaited goal that could help to reshape cancer care:ย mRNA cancer vaccinesย with the potential ...
Gutting the National Science Board: How the Trump-RFK, Jr. crusade is erasing the separation of science and state
โOn behalf of President Donald J. Trump,โ readย 22 emails sent from the White Houseย Presidential Personnel Office on Friday afternoon, April ...
Viewpoint: NAD is the wellness grifters latest evidence-lite longevity fad. At least the mice are impressed.
NAD has been discussed in the wellness world for years. In 2019, Jennifer Aniston mentioned it in an interview with ...
Facts & Fallacies Podcast: Limit free speech to blunt social media misinfo?
Information, much of it false, spreads at lightning speed in todayโs digital age. The problem is more troubling than it ...
AI likely to improve health care, research showsโbut not for blacks and ethnic minorities
Artificial intelligenceย (AI)ย isย increasinglyย being integrated intoย health care,ย including but not limited to diagnosis and treatment plans, drug development, prediction of health risks and ...
Financial incentives, over diagnosis, and weak oversight: Autism claims are driving up Medicare costs
As we recently argued, the American healthcare systemโs structure of open-ended reimbursement, subjective diagnostic criteria, and fee-for-service billing creates powerful ...
The FDA couldnโt find a vaccine safety crisis, so it buried its own research
Corrupt and Unethical Leadership at the FDA There is a particular kind of government betrayal that arrives not with a ...
Viewpoint: The state of U.S. vaccine policy? Dismal nationally, but some states are stepping up.
[T]he chasm between what gets said on Capitol Hill and what actually ends up playing out in policy has never ...
Viewpoint: Will AI democratize personalized cancer treatment or fuel medical misinformation?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made major advances in biomedical research. It has powered tools such as AlphaFold and systems that ...
Viewpoint: Are cancer rates โskyrocketingโ as RFK, Jr. and MAHA claim? The evidence says mostly the opposite
Clickbait headlines often obscure this reality and reinforce misunderstandings. For example, cancer is not a single disease; itโs a catchall ...
Viewpoint: How to counter science disinformation? Science journalist offers 12 practical tips
Science communications is not an easy task. You have to be comprehensive and concise, simplifying the message while not dumbing ...
Regulators’ dilemma: Thalidomide, Metformin, and the cost of getting drug approvals wrong
Umpiring in sport is a strange profession. A cricket umpire stands for hours under the sun, matching the stamina of ...
GLP podcast: Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Foodโhealth harming industries or life-saving innovators?
Fossil fuels, pesticides and food processing have dramatically improved living standards around the globe. This may be a controversial claim, ...
Cooling the planet with balloons: Could a geoengineering gamble slow global warming?
The political momentum behind costly climate-change mitigation appears to be weakening, especially in the United States. President Donald Trump has ...
Science Disinformation Gap: The transatlantic battle over social media and censorship
Every day, the same post appears in two places at once. A Facebook user in Munich sees it with a ...
When superbugs threaten vulnerable children: Can AI help solve antibiotic resistance?
They are newborns, many of them less than two weeks old, and the race to save them is measured in ...
FDAโs expedited drug reviews are hailed in some quarters but other approval practices are problematic
In July 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a pilot program intended to expedite reviews for drug ...
As vaccine rejectionism spreads, measles may be taking a more dangerous turn
Eman, our informally adopted son who is a physician in Monrovia, Liberia, is recovering from the measles. He contracted it ...
GLP podcast: ‘Safe injection sites’: enabling drug addiction or saving lives?
With illicit opioids still killing thousands of Americans each year, some public health advocates are pushing a radical solution to ...
The FDA wants to make many popular prescription drugs OTCโa great idea. Hereโs why itโs unlikely to happen
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary recently stated that when it comes to drugs that currently require a ...
Paraben panic: How a flawed study, media hype, and chemophobia convinced the public of the danger of one of the safest classes of preservatives
Public opinion driven by fear has immense influence in our society, especially when it comes to science and health topics ...
โScience moves forward when people are willing to think differentlyโ: Memories of DNA maverick Craig Venter
I was saddened to hear of Craig Venterโs passing at the age of 79 on April 30, 2026. Often portrayed ...
ViewpointโโMiracle moleculeโ debunked: Why acemannan supplements donโt work
Weโve done a lot of debunks. After a while, they start to blur together because the formula is almost always ...
Viewpoint: The Casey Means hustleโWellness woo opportunism dressed up as medical wisdom
I thought it might be a good idea to try to examine the underlying reasons why so many scientists and ...
MAHA wellness influencers deride proven anxiety medications, tout lifestyle fixes
After a grueling year of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to treat breast cancer, Sadia Zapp was anxious โ not the ...
Viewpoint: โScience-as-Satanโ unites the MAHAโMAGA movements. Is a breakup in the works?
The MAHA agenda had a bit of a wake-up call following the EPAโs approval of the herbicide dicamba. I think ...
Wellness influencer nonsense: No, nicotine does not boost cognition and productivity, but it can damage your healthย
If you spend any time on social media, you may have noticed a curious trend: wellness influencers singing the praises ...
