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.
IVF parents choose girls, to reduce risk of autism
Parents are increasingly asking to choose the sex of their children in an attempt to lower their baby's risk of ...
Idea of genetic mosaicism hits psychiatry
The title of my blog post is provocative, I know, but I’m actually just lifting it from the title of ...
Insurance coverage for genetic counseling varies from state to state
The affordable care act should improve insurance coverage for some genetic tests. But what about the counseling that helps you ...
Reporter David Dobbs revises ‘selfish gene’ coverage under fire
After a controversial article on the Selfish Gene Theory provoked sharp criticism, science writer David Dobbs revised his article and ...
Human family dynamics explained through the lens of bird evolution
Humans often rear their children with help from family and friends. But why would such a strategy evolve? What could ...
Schizophrenia and lower cognitive ability genetically linked
Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of Northshore LIJ recently discovered evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia ...
What is heritability anyhow?
Schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism have all had recent attention for being “genetically caused." In scientific research, being genetically ...
DNA techniques show how HIV takes down the immune system
HIV leads to AIDS primarily because the virus destroys essential immune cells called CD4 T cells, but precisely how these ...
As we age, our genomes become less stable
As all humans carry "parasitic" strands of DNA that, when not suppressed, copy themselves and spread throughout the genome, these ...
Humans are a hodgepodge of microorganisms. Might some “genetic” disease be infectious?
If an alien landed and walked up to you, what would the alien think you are? Certainly not human. That’s ...
Patents, personal genetics and progress: Top 10 genetics stories of 2013
This year was brimming with genetics news, from the Myriad BRCA test ruling to the obliteration of the idea of ...
Can HIV be removed with ‘molecular scissors’?
German scientists have used a genetic modification technique known as "molecular scissors" to cut HIV out of infected cells. Could ...
Mapping genome of fertilized eggs could double IVF success rate
Mapping the genetic code of fertilised eggs could double the success rate of IVF, researchers claim. The new screening method ...
Aging might be reversible
Imagine if we could turn back time. A team that has identified a new way in which cells age has ...
In nanotechnology advance, DNA clamp can ‘grab’ cancer before it develops
As part of an international research project, a team of researchers has developed a DNA clamp that can detect mutations ...
Height might be hazardous to your health
In many areas of life, tall people seem to get all the benefits. On average, they earn more money. They ...
Extreme diets change your gut bacteria
Ten volunteers who agreed to eat a diet entirely provided by microbiologist Harvard Peter Turnbaugh and his colleagues are living ...
Angelina Jolie’s preventative mastectomy drew attention, but didn’t make people more informed
In modern medicine, few major diseases lack for celebrity representation. But a new study may discredit the cherished notion of ...
Toe fossil provides glimpse into the racy social lives of Neanderthals
A single Neanderthal toe bone has provided scientists with the most complete genome to date, offering a new glimpse into ...
Dr. Janet Rowley, “Matriarch of modern genetics,” has died
The phrase “rock star” gets thrown around a lot to describe someone who has achieved the heights of accomplishment and ...
Video: How to sequence the human genome
Thanks to technological advances, scientists are now able to know the sequence of letters that makes up an individual genome ...
‘Stress Gene’ ups heart attack risk
Duke University researchers reported finding a link between a gene mutation known to increase the body’s response to stress and ...
High-risk genes for schizophrenia and autism may cause impairment, even before mental illness
People who carry high-risk genetic variants for schizophrenia and autism have impairments reminiscent of disorders such as dyslexia, even when ...
What 23andMe FDA case can teach health care entrepreneurs
The interaction between the FDA and 23andMe provides important lessons for future health care entrepreneurs, according to Steven Nichtberger, a ...
Neanderthal genome region linked to uv-light adaptations in Japanese and Chinese people
A portion, also known as region, of Neanderthal DNA related to sunlight adaption was selected and enriched in East Asians, ...
Gene test to take the guesswork out of depression medication dosing
Researchers at Hartford Hospital are looking into a gene that determines how fast the liver clears medication from the body ...
What genes make us human? Scientists have a list
To figure out how humans rose to dominance in the ancient world, scientists are examining the genetic differences between humans ...
