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.
Computer scientists to thank for easy access to genetic testing
Frederick Sanger, who died recently at the age of 95, won two Nobel prizes in chemistry for his methods for ...
Epigenetic alert: Could exericse prevent us from inheriting mom’s obesity?
Epigenetics has been used for rather comical effect in some cases, with a whole lot of things being correlated to ...
Genetics uncovers the truth behind the so-called extinction of native Caribbean peoples
Every schoolboy knows that the "history" of the Caribbean region of North America began in 1492, but the authors of ...
Female promiscuity just makes sense, evolutionarily
Ever since Darwin there had been an assumption among evolutionary biologists that females were coy and choosy in their sexual ...
Is same-sex coupling a matter of genetics or choice?
A new report has found that nearly a third of Laysan albatross pairs on Oahu are of the same gender, ...
Failed promise of 23andMe
Since scientists first sequenced the human genome, we've dreamed of a clear genetic explanation for diseases and behaviors. It hasn't ...
Detroit event calls for DNA samples from families of the missing
Local and state authorities are holding an event to collect DNA samples from family members of missing people to help ...
Gout may be genetic, scientists find
It’s historically been known as the disease of the aristocracy and long thought to be the result of an overindulgent ...
Designer sperm for fixing faulty genes
The "new genetics" promises to fix the faulty genes of future generations by introducing new, functioning genes using "designer sperm", ...
Do animals inherit basic memories through sperm, epigenetics?
New research from scientists at Emory University suggests that mice inherit specific smell memories from their fathers, even when the offspring have ...
Platypus will probably never get its stomach back
Bizarrely, many species of animals, such as the carp and platypus, lost their stomachs in the evolutionary past, and new ...
Sex and brain structure: Is this really about gender?
The news on December 3, 2013, read "Scientists discover the difference between male and female brains." Britain’s Independent actually made ...
One step closer to understanding cancer cells’ rapid reproductive rate
You were formed from a single cell. To build you, and then keep you alive, the DNA in your cells ...
FDA v. personal genetic testing
The United States Food and Drug Administration is not known for its prose. So the warning letter that it sent ...
23andMe halts marketing efforts
Genetic-test maker 23andMe Inc. said Monday, December 2, that it stopped all marketing of its service last week in response ...
Python’s extreme eating abilities have an evolutionary history to match
The first complete sequence of any snake genome reveals that Burmese pythons evolved rapidly to be able to eat prey ...
Air pollution may trigger autism in the genetically predisposed
New research from the University of Southern California shows air pollution increases the risk for autism among those who carry ...
Synthetic gene circuit curbs obesity in mice
Scientists have created a "synthetic gene circuit" to control appetite and prevent obesity. Laboratory mice were implanted with genetically engineered ...
Gene mutation increases link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s
A mutation in a brain protein makes people exposed to pesticides and a herbicide more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, ...
It may not be romantic, but genomics are part of the dating game now
Genetic testing is poised to play a big role reproduction planning and even romance. And that future might not be ...
The future of ancient DNA–Can we remake extinct species?
The study of ancient DNA has come a long way in recent years, forcing scientists to rethink much of human ...
Can we slow the effects of aging?
Google's new company, Calico, is attempting to battle the effects of aging and many suspect the company will go one ...
T. Rex tissue survives 68 million years, thanks to iron
The controversial discovery of 68-million-year-old soft tissue from the bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex finally has a physical explanation. According to new ...
And the survey says… genetics of asparagus odor in urine still unclear
In the past several years, new gene technology has reopened research into the sulfurous odor of urine after eating asparagus, ...
Dietary amino acid, once thought redundant, is actually essential
Asparagine, which is found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was once considered non-essential because it is ...
FDA defends challenge to 23andMe
Alberto Gutierrez doesn’t want to look like the bad guy who’s getting between you and your DNA. “We don’t have ...
Will 23andMe spur a run on mastectomies? Probably not.
What are the FDA’s bureaucrats so worried about? Basically that purchasers of 23andMe’s personal genome services will do something dangerously ...
