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 test that replaces Pap smear draws criticism
A high-tech screening tool for cervical cancer is facing pushback from more than a dozen American patient groups, who warn ...
Genes may determine who recovers quicker from concussion
Six months off may not be long enough for the brains of football players to completely heal after a single ...
Dad’s waistline may affect child’s autism status
Looking at the family records for over 90,000 women who were pregnant in Norway between 1999 and 2008, and analysing ...
Anti-GMO fear of ‘foreign’ genes? Ferns are latest examples of ‘natural’ genetic modification
Ag biotechnology opponents fret that transferring genes across species is "unnatural" and "dangerous." But it happens in nature--naturally. A study, ...
Reverse engineered lung cells created
Consider the marvel of the embryo. It begins as a glob of identical cells that change shape and function as ...
Lab grown blood fit for human transfusion, a regenerative medicine first
“We have made red blood cells that are fit to go in a person’s body," says Marc Turner, medical director ...
Genetically engineering humans for enlightenment?
Transhumanist David Pearce thinks the best way to create a better world is through genetic engineering to halt human and ...
Rare genetic disorder causes severe impairment in siblings, but also conveys super immunity
A brother and sister with an extremely rare genetic condition have a stunning ability to fight off viruses — an ...
Investigating the microbiomes of modern hunters and gatherers
It is now abundantly clear that the microbes that live in our bodies are critical parts of our lives and ...
Irish human rights group warns of expanding use of DNA testing by police
A Government proposal which would allow the taking of DNA samples for “mass screening” of certain “classes”of individuals should be ...
Racial component to thyroid disease
Some diseases are more dominant in certain groups than others. Disorders of the thyroid may be among illnesses for which ...
Viral infections gave Strep bacteria killer genes
By examining decades' worth of stored bacteria samples, researchers have determined how a benign organism evolved into a deadly pathogen ...
Non-invasive prenatal testing a global reality, but what’s next?
Non-invasive prenatal testing offers benefits to the developing world. But without regulation and policy guidance, it's difficult to know how ...
Mechanism for epigenetic inheritance found in sperm
A solution may be nigh to one of the biggest mysteries of biology – how the effects of a person's ...
Cooking, farming and other ways our culture can change our genes
The way our ancestors ate, cooked, explored, and interacted with others has had a profound influence on our genetic inheritance ...
Zebra fish and cortisol may parallel human personality development
Hermella Alemneh and Mikaela Hanson are using zebra fish in a research project that could have a direct correlation in ...
Alzheimer’s gene risk varies by sex
Carrying a copy of the "Alzheimer's gene" doesn't significantly raise a man's risk of developing the disease. The gene does ...
New play takes on ‘informed consent’ issues in genetic studies
Play write Deborah Zoe Laufer learned she had four days to come up with a proposal for "a Sloan play," ...
Why make bird flu more virulent? An explainer
A few years ago, a researcher took the deadly bird flu, turned it into a highly contagious deadly bird flu, ...
How much of our genome do we share with other organisms? Take this quiz.
Find out how much genetic material humans share with grapes, round worms and dogs ...
Inner life of your cells is controlled chaos
A new animated video sheds light on the jittery, jumbled inner lives of our cells. Carl Zimmer at the New ...
Woman receives bio-engineered vagina
She was 18 when she was diagnosed with the rare disorder Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome (MRKHS). The same year, she was one ...
Genetic chimeras everyday realities, not just science fiction fodder
For years now the concept of a “genetic chimera” has sparked the imagination of writers: the idea that an individual ...
Clinician’s take on the promise of therapeutic CRISPR editing in humans
A powerful new genetics tool has the potential to correct human disease in a way that was unimaginable a few ...
Virginia bill aimed to regulate genetic counselors, but could keep them from doing their jobs
In January, two legislators in Virginia’s House of Delegates introduced a bill that should have been uncontroversial. The bulk of ...
Canadian province to fund IVF, but only one round and one embryo
The Ontario government announced it will become only the second province in Canada to fund in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for people ...
DNA of cancer patients who exceptionally respond to drugs to become avenue for new treatments
The history of oncology is rife with reports of patients with advanced cancer who staged miraculous recoveries. Now scientists are ...
