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.
DNA, the ‘devious defecator’ and the right to genetic privacy
A poop paternity test may set legal precedents on privacy in the workplace ...
Is FDA-backed ‘Viagra’ for women a step towards gender equality in medicine?
After an intense lobbying campaign, a federal advisory panel recommended approval of what would become the first drug to treat ...
Can emeging field of optogenetics transform how scientists study brain and mental health?
For much of the history of brain research, it has been nearly impossible to accurately test ideas about how the ...
‘My genes made me do it: An excuse for infidelity that your spouse shouldn’t believe
Media have a tendency to hype studies that link individual genes to behavioral effects. Recent news surrounding connections between the ...
Genetics, social trends lead moms to delay having children
Women are starting families later in life despite an apparently stronger genetic drive to have children when they are younger, ...
National academies move to design regulations on germline editing
The National Academies of Science (NAS) and National Academies of Medicine (NAM) have their work cut out for them as ...
Are concerns over danger of CRISPR eclipsing potential benefits?
CRISPR is causing a major upheaval in biomedical research. Unlike other gene-editing methods, it is cheap, quick and easy to ...
White House tackles antibiotic resistance at first ever summit
Representatives of more than 150 health care organizations, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies federal health agencies and food-production interests met at ...
De-extinction aspirations walk line between noble and selfish
The conceit of Beth Shapiro's disturbing and thoughtful new book, How to Clone a Mammoth, is that it is a ...
Public discussion on germline editing vital, but what should be discussed?
Human germline genetic modification, which involves making genetic changes that will be passed on to future generations, is once again ...
Pharmaceutical companies join forces to advance precision medicine in cancer treatment
The National Cancer Institute is launching a major trial in which it will play matchmaker between 1,000 advanced cancer patients ...
Endangered fish surprises biologists with apparent ‘virgin’ reproduction
Desperate times call for desperate measures, which may explain why some critically endangered smalltooth sawfish are reproducing asexually in the wild. The smalltooth ...
Human germline gene editing too complex for black-and-white moral framing
The first day of BEINGS2015, “A Gathering of Global Thought Leaders to Reach Consensus on the Direction of Biotechnology for the ...
Assisted reproduction technologies can’t delay adulthood
All too frequently, I am faced with breaking bad news to disappointed couples in their early 40s who expected IVF ...
Where has Big Genomics taken us, and what will the future hold?
Below are some thoughts about David Dobbs's recent piece and ‘Big Genomics'; this should not be construed as a ‘response': ...
Saving extinct and endangered species will benefit humans, too
The Sixth Extinction is upon us, and this time the depopulation of the planet is Man’s fault. But the upside ...
Three parent babies: Parent #3’s impact may go beyond mitochondria
New research shows mitochondrial and nuclear DNA interact throughout a person’s lifetime. What does that mean for parents seeking mitochondrial ...
How embryonic stem cell research set precedent for self-regulation in US scientific community
In 2005, in response to intense public debate and an absence of federal regulation, the U.S. research community self-imposed guidelines ...
Drop in antibiotic profitability partially responsible for rise of resistance
Within the slow-brewing crisis of antibiotic resistance—which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kills 23,000 Americans each ...
Mystery of the shrinking Y chromosome solved
Several genes have been lost from the Y chromosome in humans and other mammals but essential Y genes are rescued ...
How every living European is related to Charlemagne, and why this is entirely unremarkable
Sometimes I get asked if I’m related to the great physicist Ernest Rutherford. His discoveries about the atomic nucleus gave ...
Interpretations of disease risk from genetic tests inconsistent, study shows
The first report from a big public-private project to improve genetic testing reveals it is not as rock solid as ...
Verdict on ‘devious defecator’ case: Employees protected from genetic discrimination
The case that experts believe is the first to go to trial under the law involves something completely different: an ...
People’s IQs are rising every year, but why?
IQ tests are “normed”: Your score reflects how you did compared with other people, like being graded on a curve ...
Does Africa’s rich genetic diversity explain dominance of elite African runners?
Africans are more genetically diverse than the rest of the world combined. Modern humans evolved in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and ...
Microbes engineered to sniff out tumors and diabetes
Two groups of synthetic biologists seeking to repurpose living microbes for human benefit have reported genetically modifying bacteria to detect ...
Can surrogate pregnancy fit into constructs of modern society?
Surrogacy is not a new idea; indeed, there is a precedent in the book of Genesis, with the story of Abraham, ...
