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.
Battling skin diseases: Biotech-based skincare products aim to shut down genes responsible for unwanted inflammation and itchiness
A new biotech company that aims to harness the immune system to treat a range of skin diseases will launch ...
Is technology-driven ‘exponential change’ overwhelming humanity’s genetically-inherited ability to adapt?
Human civilization has always survived periods of change. Will our rapidly evolving technological era be an exception to the rule? ...
Precision medicine timeline: ‘Floodgates might be opening for a generalized cure of most genetic diseases in less than one generation’
The ultimate goal of medicine: Instead of drugs acting on multiple parts of the body precision therapies target only one ...
High-fat, low-carb keto diets reportedly help patients manage their mental illnesses
Around a dozen clinical trials are in the works, testing the low carb, high fat ketogenic diet's effect on mental ...
What do high-altitude Andean communities and deep-sea fish have in common? Genetic mutations that aid survival in low-oxygen environments
Researchers discovered an example of convergent evolution in the Peruvian and Tibetan highlander communities ...
A blood test test can detect cancers well before symptoms show up. Don’t expect private insurers or the government to cover costs anytime soon
Many companies are developing blood tests that can detect cancer signals before symptoms occur, and Grail’s is the most advanced ...
Are our genes the template for life? The reality is a lot more complicated
Biology is often presented to the public is oversimplified and out of date. Scientists must set the record straight, argues ...
Viagra and its erectile-dysfunction-treating siblings might provide side benefit — lowering risk of dementia
Men who take drugs for erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra, may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests ...
New malaria vaccines may not be the panacea drugs people are hoping for. Here’s why
New vaccine to eradicate malaria: The vaccine may well help reduce deaths, but we should not exaggerate its efficacy ...
Pinning down our ‘great leap forward’: When did ancient humans start to act behaviorally modern?
How are we different from ancient humans? Since our species first appeared, we’ve been on a wild ride from the ...
Understanding how calorie restriction improves health and increases human lifespan
Recent research reveals a significant discovery about dietary restriction and its impact on brain health and aging ...
Viewpoint: Acupuncture pseudoscience — Debunking Washington Post’s tiresome promotion of ‘legalized quackery’
Acupuncturists claim to treat many conditions, but they especially like to claim that they can treat chronic pain, for a ...
100,000 Americans are waiting for transplants. Could pig-grown organs close this gap?
The need for more transplant organs is immense and some scientists think animal organs might be a good way to ...
How did human ancestors go from walking on all fours to standing on two legs? Ancient eardrum fossils illuminate the likely evolutionary path
How did humans learn to walk? The inner ear of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape reveals clues about the evolution of ...
Who should take an obesity drug? A new genetic test class to identify patients most likely to benefit
Homing in on obesity's genetic underpinnings through precision medicine may represent a more cost-effective way of tackling weight loss ...
Losing track of thoughts? Forgetting is normal and healthy for your brain
Some evidence suggests that nonpathological forgetting is an adaptive and active part of learning and memory maintenance ...
Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Here’s how plastic-eating mealworms can munch on shopping bags, yogurt cups, and packing peanuts
Plastic-eating enzymes in the guts of mealworms are one of the ideas being studied, but it dodges the real solution: ...
Delusion and technology: How the internet exacerbates schizophrenia and other mental health problems
Evolving technology and its expanding influence in society are altering evaluation of schizophrenia patients who have delusional thoughts ...
God question: Did Neanderthals practice religion or have ‘rich symbolic lives’?
As Rebecca Sykes notes, ”Neanderthals neither ignored corpses nor treated them like rubbish.” ...
Obesity drugs could treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s? It appears they lower inflammation in the brain, sparking hope of additional therapeutic uses
Evidence suggests that the drugs classified as GLP-1 receptor agonists — a category that includes brand names such as Mounjaro ...
Engineering cell superpowers: Nanomachines can fix broken parts in our cells, helping break down food, clot blood and destroy germs
Engineer Kerstin Göpfrich leads a research group focused on the “engineering of life” at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research ...
‘We could completely replace the human body with one that is ideal for space travel’ — Future space travel options come into focus
Perhaps the optimal way to most fully adapt humans to alien environments is to completely replace the human body with ...
Podcast: Wheat causes health issues? Do you have celiac disease, an allergy or…? Hysteria and misinformation about wheat-based products grows
Gluten has gained attention in pop culture because it is implicated in specific medical conditions, specifically celiac disease and gluten ...
We have the tools to develop genetics-based personalized medicine, but the data used is outdated and lacks diversity
Bias in medical studies towards men of European origin means genetic variants in understudied populations don’t get the focus they ...
Geroscience: Searching for compounds that could extend our lives
By addressing the root causes of aging, researchers hope to stave off the disability and diseases that can make old ...
Viewpoint: Evolutionary trap — ‘Forces that encouraged our ancestors to compete for resources fueled early human success but now threaten to end it’
Evolution has led us into a dark corner, as the scale and impact of human groups has kept growing, and ...
Acne treatment of the future: Gene-editing the bacteria that lives on your skin
An experimental study has shown that a type of skin bacterium can efficiently be engineered to produce a protein to ...
