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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
How many of the people born in the world in 1756 could have become Mozart? IQ twin studies may provide an answer
A recent study on the heritability of intelligence has sparked interest in determining where we get our intelligence. A new ...
DNA molecular motor walks down carbon nanotubes
Researchers have created a new type of molecular motor made of DNA and demonstrated its potential by using it to ...
Radioactivity might mutate DNA beyond the standard four nucleotide bases
Recently, scientists have begun to make precise genetic modifications to genes in order to move a beneficial effect of one ...
Father’s folate levels linked to abnormalities in offspring
Finally it is the turn of prospective fathers to be told what to eat – men who want to be ...
Smoking changes our genes
We inherit our genes from our parents at birth. Later in life the genetic material can be changed by epigenetic ...
FDA should regulate home genetic tests, just like pregnancy tests
Opening the door to genetic testing and its potential health benefits to anyone with $99 and the desire to spit ...
Hand bone connects ancient ancestors and modern anatomy
Humans have a distinctive hand anatomy that allows them to make and use tools. Apes and other nonhuman primates do ...
Non-invasive prenatal screening: Too much information?
With non-invasive prenatal screenings comes the ability to read more and more into the genetics of unborn babies. Can we ...
Genome editing paying off: Knockout human gene libraries help correct disease-causing genetic defects
CRISPR technology is an approach to genome editing that has skyrocketed to stardom because of its speed, ease of use, ...
Baby with three genetic parents: Bioethics of mitochondrial replacement
Alana is apparently a normal, well-adjusted 13-year-old. But there is something extraordinary about her — every cell in her body ...
23andMe FDA flap just a bump in the road say investors
When the Food and Drug Administration told personal-genetics company 23andMe in November to stop sending consumers detailed information about their ...
California’s DNA collection from arrestees law goes too far
The Supreme Court erred grievously this year when it permitted Maryland police to collect DNA samples from people who had ...
On the verge of stem cell “cure” for macular degeneration
Sufferers of an incurable form of a common age-related eye disease that leads to blindness could soon be cured, thanks ...
Best to tell donor-conceived kids about their origins
Secrecy has long been intimately intertwined with donor conception. Once upon a time, non-disclosure was standard. Almost no one talked ...
Caribou genetics reveal shadow of climate change
A new look at the genetic history of Caribou suggests that loss of habitat, which is a likely effect of ...
Did brain mirror neurons help shape our civilization?
A new study debunks the hype surrounding mirror neurons and surveys current literature to take a calm and objective look ...
Finding the root of genetic disease in Amish communities
The story began at the Philadelphia children’s hospital late one night in spring 1989, when Dr. Morton found glutaric acid, ...
George Church wonders why you haven’t had your genome sequenced yet
There was a fascinating moment at Google’s Cambridge office when Harvard geneticist George Church asked how many people in a ...
