Daily Human Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of human genetics issues, including gene editing, regulations and bioethics, gene therapy, epigenetics, personal genomics, evolution, ancestry and artificial intelligence. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Can you buy a synthetic version of the deadly 1918 influenza? There’s no law against it—and that has security experts worried
In the past few years, something new has become possible in biology: cheaply “printing” DNA for insertion into a cell ...
We can eliminate cervical cancer by 2038
A preventable cancer might be virtually eradicated in the U.S. within the next two decades, according to a new study out ...
Why virtual reality is a ‘far from perfect’ tool for studying how the brain works
Virtual Reality (VR) is not just for video games. Researchers use it in studies of brains from all kinds of ...
‘Simple blood test’ could give us an early warning system for cancer
As of 2020, there are now targeted therapy drugs for 30 kinds of cancer. As part of this whirlwind of innovation, ...
Viewpoint: Challenging those who claim evolution is ‘just a theory’
Such widespread rejection of the theory of evolution is fueled in part by the notion that evolution is “just a ...
Mysterious Brazilian virus made largely of genes never seen illustrates ‘how much we still need to understand’ about microorganisms
Viruses are some of the world’s smallest life-forms – and the jury is still out as to whether they actually ...
Viewpoint: Don’t expect genetic matchmaking to help you find your Valentine
Genetic matchmaking is entering the mainstream. The prospect of meeting and selecting potential romantic partners based upon purported DNA compatibility ...
Infographic: What suicidal behavior looks like in the brain
Scientists have identified several key neurobiological pathways with ties to suicidal behaviors. Research in the field addresses only a fraction ...
Why China scientist’s CRISPR baby scandal won’t be the last ethical ‘grenade’ for human gene editing
Over the next two years, via a series of stakeholder meetings and online consultations, talks with ethicists, academics, patient groups, ...
Viewpoint: Artificial intelligence ‘without guard rails’ is growing global threat
Technology is bestowing wonderful opportunities and benefits to the world, but the acceleration of development, and lack of global regulatory ...
Humans are ‘biologically built’ to seek out friends
We humans are biologically built to seek friends, and we can see suggestions of our evolutionary past in the social ...
These women are missing the ‘scent region’ of the brain. How do they still smell?
When Tali Weiss and her colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science found a patient that had an otherwise normal ...
‘It’s the Wild West’: Consumer DNA test cracks another cold case. Why are privacy advocates worried?
It was January 1980 when 21-year-old Helene Pruszynski was found raped, bound and stabbed to death in an empty field ...
Why do humans have tailbones?
Though it’s currently useless, the human coccyx—commonly referred to as the tailbone—remains nestled at the bottom of the spine, a ...
Unconventional drug ‘lottery’ will hand out 50 doses of Zolgensma, world’s most expensive gene therapy
The lottery that began [recently] was not about money, or about choosing a school, or about obtaining a visa. It ...
Vision implant skips the eyes and goes directly to the brain of blind people
[Bernardeta] Gómez was given a six-month window during which she could see a very low-resolution semblance of the world represented ...
Genetic mutations may provide natural defense against Alzheimer’s
A set of genetic mutations may protect against Alzheimer’s, research suggests. The memory-robbing disease is poorly understood, with few known ...
900 gene therapy drugs are in the pipeline. How does the FDA want to regulate them?
To date, the FDA has approved four gene therapy products, which insert new genetic material into a patient’s cells. The ...
3 modern adaptations that prove humans are still evolving
Genetic mutations lead to new traits — and with the world population now above 7 billion and rising, the chances ...
Immunotherapy breakthrough? CRISPR-edited immune cells proven safe for use in cancer patients in early stage trial
Now for the first time in the U.S., researchers say they’ve shown that CRISPR-edited immune cells can be safely given ...
Why consumers are losing interest in genetic testing
At-home DNA testing companies 23andMe and Ancestry each laid off about 100 employees over the past month, cutting around 14 and 6 percent of ...
People with autism show significant increases in IQ as they mature, but development issues remain
People with autism show significant improvements in cognitive ability from age 12 to 23 years, but their autism traits remain ...
Can artificial intelligence diagnose diseases? Promising apps in development but kinks remain
An algorithm that can spot cause and effect could supercharge medical AI. The technique, inspired by quantum cryptography, would allow ...
Viewpoint: We can’t trust research about the benefits of marijuana if the studies are industry funded
Imagine that scientists charged with doing research on tobacco’s health implications were funded by tobacco companies. (In fact, the tobacco ...
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop under fire again for ‘exploiting health issues in order to make money’
Gwyneth Paltrow’s contextual commerce company Goop is still making more than a dozen false and misleading health claims about the ...
This can ‘never ever’ happen again: Cleveland fertility clinic sued over 4,000 lost eggs
Almost two years ago, a freezer malfunction at an Ohio fertility clinic may have destroyed hundreds of patients' chances at ...
If China’s coronavirus isn’t contained soon, we may be stuck with it permanently
With the new coronavirus spreading from person to person (possibly including from people without symptoms), reaching four continents, and traveling faster than ...
Smartphone as a ‘mood predictor’? This study wants to know if phone-captured data can predict depression
With digital health, anyone with a wrist wearable or smartphone could potentially contribute in the largest studies ever attempted by ...
