What Three Gene-Therapy Deaths Have in Common
The virus used to deliver healing DNA in gene therapy is under renewed scrutiny.
Latest
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The Genes That Could Cancel Out a Fatal Diagnosis
The key to treating genetic disease might be hidden in other “modifier” genes.
Illustration by Flo Meissner The DNA Fix for Aging
Everyone’s DNA keeps mutating. Could correcting those errors lead to longevity?
Illustration by Seba Cestaro Their Mutated Genes Were Supposed to Be Harmless
“Carriers” of certain genetic diseases, who have just one affected gene, can have symptoms too.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Scientists Figured Out the Problem With Johnson & Johnson’s COVID Vaccine
Rare but dangerous blood clotting associated with that vaccine as well as AstraZeneca’s had a genetic cause, according to a new paper.
Alberto Ortega / Europa Press / Getty Whoa-zempic!
The next wave of obesity drugs is pushing the limits of weight loss.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: quantic69 / Getty; Rawf8 / Getty. America Is Sleeping on a Powerful Defense Against Airborne Disease
Treating clean indoor air as a public good would have protected Americans against more than COVID-19.
Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Doctors Said These Women’s Mutated Genes Wouldn’t Harm Them
But they were always at risk of developing diseases with potentially severe effects.
Illustration by Mel Haasch Did a Famous Doctor’s COVID Shot Make His Cancer Worse?
A lifelong promoter of vaccines suspects he might be the rare, unfortunate exception.
Kevin Faingnaert for The Atlantic Do Your Genes Know What’s Making You Sick?
Testing for immune-system changes, rather than for the presence of a virus, could give an earlier indication of whether people are ill.
The Atlantic
/media/img/mt/2025/11/2025_11_19_Weight_Loss/original.gif)
/media/img/mt/2022/01/immune_changes/original.gif)