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.
Korean scientist intends to clone mammoths
Could Ancient Giants Be Cloned?Valley News“From what I understand of the process of cloning,” Slivensky continued, “Mr. Hwang doesn't have ...
Gene therapies target rare diseases
The Western world's first drug to fix faulty genes promises to transform the lives of patients with an ultra-rare disease ...
Why we have a right to consumer genetics
It’s hard to get straightforward health guidance from personal genome tests, which are banned in some places. But one way ...
In epigenetics, location is everything
In a novel use of gene knockout technology, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine tested ...
Desperate patients seek stem cell miracles, but scientists warn of hidden dangers
Boca Raton parents Gary and Judy Susser say they know the hope and promise of stem-cell therapy. Nine years ago they ...
Company aims to screen ‘virtual progeny’ from sperm banks
When economic development consultant Anne Morriss and her partner were looking for a sperm donor, genetics was an afterthought. “We trusted ...
Adam Lanza’s DNA could be compared to forensic databases
Days after the Newtown shootings of December 14, 2012, headlines trumpeted the state medical examiner’s request of University of Connecticut geneticists to ...
Nature creates genetically modified organisms — including humans
Despite some concerns over the transfer of DNA from one organism to another to create genetically modified crops and animals, ...
Oldest man in world has “genetic edge”
Jiroemon Kimura, who became the world's oldest man on record last week, can thank a combination of luck early in ...
Tool developed to evaluate genome sequencing methods
Advances in bio-technologies and computer software have helped make genome sequencing much more common than in the past. But still ...
Gene determines how much of a “reward” people get from booze
One in six U.S. adults binge-drinks four times a month, consuming an average of eight drinks per session, according to ...
Glybera: The story of gene therapy
Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec) made history on November 2 when the European Union approved its marketing application, making the gene therapy the first to ...
Genes are no guarantee you’ll get the kids you want
Some people are concerned about genetically modified food, with good reason, but I’m more concerned about genetically modified kids. One ...
Genetic effects on intelligence and society
Fewer subjects are more controversial than the study of genetics and its relation to just about every facet of human ...
Young and carrying a deadly gene: Do you really want to know?
Most people have a deep intuition that a life lived clear-eyed has inherent value, independent of whether the truth makes ...
When should you give genetic testing as a gift?
When 23andMe offered their DNA test for just $99, I started to think about giving it for Christmas presents. It was an ...
Promising trends for 2013: Genome editing and sequencing
More than once last year, researchers described leaps in medical science that were so breathtaking, and held so much potential ...
Medical-testing companies disagree on potential impact of gene patent ruling
Much has changed since 1990, when geneticist Mary Claire King first located the breast-cancer gene at the heart of the ...
2013: Year of the stem cell
Researchers have already safely injected stem cells into patients with neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries -- and they've seen ...
Knowing you carry a cancer gene
The oncologist called me alone to the exam room, and I told her the story I had revealed to more ...
Can genetic testing help prevent the next mass murder?
PolicyMicJames Holmes and Adam Lanza: Their DNA May Hold Clues On What Makes a ...PolicyMicNot only would Adam Lanza's genetic ...
U.S. Clears DNA Firm’s Acquisition by Chinese
The federal government has given national security clearance to the controversial purchase of an American DNA sequencing company by a ...
Gene technology innovations reshaping future of medicine
The ability to map human DNA cheaply and quickly is yielding a torrent of data about the genetic drivers of ...
The curious genetics of “werewolves”
Forgive my lapse in political correctness, but I recalled those cards when I saw the word “hypertrichosis” in a recent ...
Genetics’ effect on intelligence and society
Fewer subjects are more controversial than the study of genetics and its relation to just about every facet of human ...
Cadaver stem cells offer new hope of life after death
Medical DailyRadical New Technique Extracts Stem Cells From CadaversMedical DailyHuman bone marrow holds mesenchymal stem cells, which can be converted ...
Identifying genetic markers will not stop crime
Discussion turned, in the wake of the Newtown killings, to better mental health services. If we could simply identify homicidal ...
Evolution may contradict ‘dumb jock’ notion
According to a popular stereotype, intellectual achievement and athleticism are inversely linked. Now a controversial view of evolution suggests that ...
