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.
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
Epigenetics might explain relapse in patients of substance addiction
One of the major challenges of cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse after periods of withdrawal and abstinence ...
Mysteries of cat, human health revealed through microbiome
Studying the bacteria that live in an on our feline friends maybe a good proxy for humans. They live in ...
Are genetic ancestry companies taking you for a ride?
I can reveal that I am a direct descendent of someone of similar greatness: Charlemagne, Carolingian King of the Franks, ...
National Academies gear up to discuss human gene editing implications
The National Academies of Science (NAS) and National Academies of Medicine (NAM) have their work cut out for them as ...
Test-tube baby business booming in cash strapped Greece
Making babies is a business as well as a way of life for father-of-eight Kostas Pantos. As founder of Genesis, ...
Delays in Ebola clinical trials offer lessons for future outbreaks
After failing to deliver new treatments in time to fight the now-waning Ebola epidemic in West Africa, public-health experts are ...
Remarkable success stories bring cancer immunotherapy into the limelight
Oncologist Nizar M. Tannir has seen kidney tumors larger and more aggressive than the 8-inch, 31/2-pound behemoth surgeons removed from Philip ...
The Asilomar conference and its lessons for the regulation of gene-editing
There is a precedent for establishing internationally agreed-upon limits for new science, though it can be hard to do. A ...
Forensic analysis reveals hominid who lived 430,000 years ago was murdered
It's the coldest of cold cases: a forensic analysis suggests that an ancient human who lived 430,000 years ago died ...
Three developments that will help synthetic biology live up to its promise
Using synthetic biology techniques, researchers have created everything from new flavors and fragrances to new types of biofuels and materials. While the ...
New fossil evidence reignites debate on pace of human evolution
For scientists who study human evolution, the last few months have been a whirlwind. Every couple of weeks, it seems, ...
Arm chair geneticists looking for enlightenment could provide useful data
People who sequence their genomes don’t hinder public health; they offer an opportunity for free data. We should capitalize on ...
Researchers genetically engineer E.coli bacteria to detect cancer and diabetes
In two articles published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers reported they had equipped E. coli bacteria with ...
Is there a genetic basis for being unfaithful?
When I was trained as a psychiatrist we were told to look for various emotional and developmental factors to explain ...
Has the Age of Genomics been oversold?
We live in an age of hype. But the overselling of the Age of Genomics — the hype about the ...
