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.
Alert for athletes and astronauts: Gene editing moving into clinics, results promising
An elite athlete, a mountain climber, an aspiring astronaut or test pilot—any of these might be a good candidate for ...
What’s the average IQ in developing countries, and what impacts it?
In a new paper at the (conveniently open) journal The Winnower (h/t @whyvert), building on his earlier work, geneticist Davide ...
FDA intensifies discussions on medical and ethical issues of mitochondrial replacement therapy
On January 27, 2015, a newly appointed committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will hold the first in a ...
Bipartisan support found for US personalized medicine initiative
President Obama will seek hundreds of millions of dollars for a new initiative to develop medical treatments tailored to genetic ...
Manipulating sex balance in mosquitoes may be key to fighting spread of disease
Dengue and chikungunya are both viruses spread by a species of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. Dengue sickens 50 million ...
Can China reverse its severe gender imbalance?
Chinese health authorities on Wednesday described the gender imbalance among newborns as "the most serious and prolonged" in the world, ...
Can cats’ genomes help fight human diseases?
Scientists have recruited a new ally in their battle to fight disease: domestic moggies. They believe the genetic profiles of ...
Why ‘unnatural’ life probably doesn’t deserve the reputation of Frankenstein
In the standard Frankenstein story, a scientist creates an unnatural monster that breaks out of the lab and runs amok ...
Molecules designed to ‘strangle’ bone cancer cells, furthering search for treatments
Chemists have designed a carbohydrate-based molecule that can surround and strangle bone cancer cells by self-assembling into a tangled web ...
New findings on fragile X syndrome may explain why some drugs prove ineffectual
Scientists have gained new insight into fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, by studying the ...
Are probiotics actually essential in a ‘normal’ GI tract?
The more I understand about normal GI flora, the more I suspect probiotics are the wrong answer to a wide ...
Privacy concerns raised by use of consumer genomics data in pharmaceutical research
The largest single repository of human genetic data in the world is not at any university, research institute, or pharmaceutical ...
Genghis Khan’s reputation as history’s most fertile father challenged by 9 mystery men
Millions of men bear the genetic legacy of Genghis Khan, the famously fertile Mongolian ruler who died in 1227. Researchers ...
Extending healthy life through gene manipulation: Sounds cool but it’s complicated
There has been a recent flurry of news and excitement about tracing the the genetics of athletic ability, effects of ...
Three parent babies: Social and ethical implications
Nuclear genome transfer for preventing the transmission of mitochondrial disease – also known as “3-person IVF” – is a form ...
Does genome editing mean the end of genetic disease?
In October, two scientists shared the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for inventing the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology ...
Researchers develop nanoparticles that prevent cancer metastasis in mice
When a person dies from cancer, the culprit is usually not the original tumor but rather the cancerous cells that ...
Studies in mice show timing of meals important in maintaining body weight
While the diet wars may rage on, it's pretty universally accepted that what you eat matters when it comes to ...
Why this year’s flu vaccine wasn’t great and what can be done
The unusually poor effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine calls for renewed efforts to create better vaccines, faster. What do ...
Disneyland measles outbreak grows as calls for vaccination intensify
A measles outbreak that began at Disneyland is spreading across California and beyond, prompting health officials to move aggressively to contain ...
Should direct-to-consumer DNA tests come with a health warning?
Genetic testing is appropriate — and can be life saving — when doctors and genetic counsellors interpret complex results and map out ...
Details expected to emerge on President’s personalized medicine initiative
During his State of the Union address to Congress on Jan. 20, 2015, President Barack Obama announced a programme called ...
US cancer death rates continue sharp drop, down 22% over two decades
In 1991 American deaths from cancer reached an historic peak, claiming the lives of 215 out of 100,000 citizens. In the two ...
Genetic variants altering key brain structures identified
In the animal kingdom, humans are known for our big brains. But not all brains are created equal, and now ...
DNA evidence ends ancestry debate over 9500 year old skeleton
Nearly two decades after the ancient skeleton called Kennewick Man was discovered on the banks of the Columbia River, the ...
Do fatty and sugary foods affect the brain and make you want to eat more?
Obviously, overeating unhealthy foods can lead to overweight. But looking beyond direct effects on expanding waistlines, our lab studies how ...
Recalling old and new fear memories use different brain pathways
People with anxiety disorders, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often experience prolonged and exaggerated fearfulness. Now, an animal ...
