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.
Tamed foxes could help unravel complex genetics behind social behavior
[D]omestication, based purely on behavioral traits, can result in other changes — like curlier tails and changes to fur color ...
Challenging our understanding of the genetics behind the evolution of human language
The evolution of human language was once thought to have hinged on changes to a single gene that were so ...
Hospital ‘superbugs’ getting better at defeating alcohol-based hand sanitizers
Popular hand sanitizers may be heading the way of antibiotics, according to a study published this week in Science Translational Medicine ...
Why genetic tests could affect your insurance coverage in the future
Taking a genetic test in your 20s or 30s could, indeed, affect your ability to get long-term-care insurance later — ...
Searching for signs of autism in early infant behavior
Fearfulness and shyness in babies and toddlers predict features of autism at age 7, according to a new study. But ...
5 things to fear from artificial intelligence in the future
CNBC spoke with some experts to see what they think are the five scariest potential future scenarios for AI. A common ...
Hardwired for delusion: How our brains deceive us
[Present bias] is the tendency people have, when considering a trade-off between two future moments, to more heavily weight the ...
Viewpoint: Why we shouldn’t be deterred by CRISPR’s ‘rollercoaster year’
Despite spooking investors, new insights into DNA repair and the CRISPR gene-editing system are part and parcel of its progress ...
Searching for the origins of the ‘dark traits’ of humanity
We all know people who consistently display ethically, morally, and socially questionable behavior in everyday life. Personality psychologists refer to ...
No link found between Flores Island pygmies and ancient ‘hobbits’ in study
Geneticist Serena Tucci sat in the small Indonesian village of Rampasasa on Flores Island, the only woman in a room full of ...
Could studies on gene differences lead teachers to unfairly favor ‘more educatable’ students?
Educational paths are extremely varied, almost as unique as people themselves. They’re influenced by a complex slew of factors, and ...
Boy almost back to normal 3 years after doctors remove large section of his brain
A boy who had large parts of the right side of his brain removed due to a slow-growing tumor made ...
Does popular antipsychotic drug Abilify cause ‘uncontrollable urges’ to gamble, eat and have sex?
By the time she stopped taking aripiprazole — an antipsychotic sold under the brand name Abilify — [Denise Miley had] ...
Could studying rare Parkinson’s mutation help treat other cases?
A handful of gene mutations are linked to inherited PD, but they account for less than 15 percent of the ...
Relationship between genes and obesity could be altered by what we eat
A correlation between obesity and genetics has been found to be modified by diet, according to a scientific paper in ...
‘The potential here is huge’: Using exosomes to package and deliver drug therapy
Millions of tiny bubbles, released from cells and packaged with molecular mail, are racing through your bloodstream right now. And ...
Game changer for cystic fibrosis? Discovery of new cell could alter quest for treatment
The discovery of a new type of cell could fundamentally alter how cystic fibrosis researchers seek a cure for the ...
Explaining hallucinations through math
[Researcher Heinrich Klüver] classified [hallucinogenic patterns he experienced] into four distinct types that he dubbed “form constants”: lattices (including checkerboards, ...
Rekindling the debate over using CRISPR to edit human embryos
Facing criticism from fellow scientists, the researcher behind the world’s largest effort to edit human embryos with CRISPR is vowing ...
Video: How does the brain act on what it sees?
What we see often determines how we act: We hit the brakes if a car is stopped ahead of us ...
Can success in life be predicted by our genes?
A team of researchers from the U.S., the U.K. and New Zealand has found genetic variants that appear to confer ...
Jack of all environments: Is this why Homo sapiens survived and thrived?
When paleoanthropologists and archaeologists define what makes our species unique, they usually focus on our use of symbolism and language, ...
Preparing for motherhood: Do the father’s genes play a role?
[A] father may have the ability to dictate a mother’s attentiveness to their offspring—before it’s even born. The paternal genes ...
Reasons to be wary of the ‘untamed wilderness’ of dog DNA tests
The claims that dog DNA-testing companies make can seem all but definitive: One quick cheek swab can not only tell ...
Study sparks fresh debate over an old theory on the cause of Alzheimer’s
In the long-running debate over just what causes Alzheimer’s disease, one side looks to have scored a victory with new ...
Differences in brain reward system may explain why autistic people are less interested in socialization
The brain’s system for sensing pleasure and reward shows unusual activation patterns in people with autism, according to an analysis ...
Blossoming brains—Why some people suddenly become geniuses or musical savants
Savant syndrome comes in different forms. In congenital savant syndrome the extraordinary savant ability surfaces in early childhood. In acquired ...
Fighting cancer with help from the body’s internal clock
Chi Van Dang generally declines to discuss the science that made him famous. ... Instead of doing so, Dang [a ...
