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.
Message to college students: How your all nighters affect your learning and memory
The all-nighter is now as synonymous with a college student's life as the frat party, but it is detrimental to ...
Revolutionary CAR-T cancer therapy needs to nearly kill you to save you
[There is an] experimental therapy that...could rid [a patient's] body of cancer entirely. It’s called CAR-T therapy, and it works ...
Brain scans show that dogs do understand human speech
[S]cientists in Hungary...have published a groundbreaking study that found dogs understand both the meaning of words and the intonation used to ...
Frustrated Floridian has had it–Satirical rebuke of activists blocking GMO mosquitoes
A goddamned mosquito just bit me on my face in my own house because I live in Florida and it’s ...
Stem cells from bone marrow proved more helpful than those from bloodstream
Blood stem cells derived from donor bone marrow resulted in better self-reported psychological well-being, fewer graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) symptoms, and ...
Are GMOs our best chance at stopping spread of Zika?
The Zika virus is scary.... Worries about Zika are already being used as cudgels in the culture wars. Religious conservatives have ...
First human head transplant set in motion as Russian man volunteers
Italian neuroscientist Dr. Sergio Canavero made headlines [in 2015] when he announced his plans to perform the first human head ...
Despite skepticism of industry in Florida, biotech offers solutions to Zika, citrus greening
One growing concern...is what kind of future [we're] going to have if activists block advances in the application of biotechnology ...
‘SkinGun’ sprays stem cells to heal burns and wounds
An experimental treatment that sprays on your own stem cells to treat second degree burns...is one of the latest trends ...
Kuwait’s DNA collection law could lead to mass deportations
[A]fter an ISIS-linked man ignited a bomb in a Shiite mosque in Kuwait [in 2015], killing 27, the [government is thinking ...
Should we believe every bold promise in biotechnology?
Based on direct experience,...I would advise that heady promises regarding biotechnology should be viewed with a high degree of skepticism...Many...biotechnological ...
Lab’s choice of nutrients may determine sucess of IVF, babies’ health throughout their life
Here’s another layer of confusion to add to the uncertainty of going through IVF. The type of liquid a lab ...
Information from genetic tests for cancer not always useful for patient
Genetic tests for cancer have come a long way since they first entered the clinic...Yet many patients learn that their ...
Why genetic research has not led to breakthrough in deciphering schizophrenia
What causes mental health problems?...[T]o shed some light on the matters, we asked two psychologists to discuss the issue of ...
WHO’s IARC finds link between obesity and cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)...released a summary [on August 25] of its report on the likelihood that excess ...
Years of genomic research botched with errors thanks to Excel quirk
A new paper has revealed the vast extent of errors in published genomics research,...[thanks to] an unfortunate quirk of Microsoft ...
Facing Zika pandemic fears, Florida Gulf Coast leaders ask US Dept of Health to greenlight GMO mosquitoes
Faced with their first local case of the Zika virus, Pinellas County leaders...asked federal health officials to skip field trials ...
Piecing together how Lucy, world’s most famous fossil, perished
In 1974, scientists working in Ethiopia uncovered an extraordinary female skeleton, whom they called Lucy. She was 3.2 million years ...
Mitochondrial therapy—More than “three parent” babies—Stalls in ethical battle
Mitchondria DNA replacement is much more than "three parent babies." It might treat a wide range of diseases ...
Origins of Ashkenazi Jewry clearer once more genetic information examined
["]The Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population is important in medical genetics due to its high rate of Mendelian disorders and other ...
Video: Science and ethical wariness about CRISPR gene editing should not limit its transformative capabilities
Among the various technological advances in the twenty-first century, CRISPR is perhaps the scientific breakthrough with the most potential. However, ...
Scientists aim to sync various brain maps to create ‘Google Maps’ for brain
Brain maps seem to come out in rapid succession these days. They take various forms: a map for word concepts, ...
Specific genes linked to size and shape of the face
[I]n a new study, researchers tried to make sense of how a person's genes are linked to his or her ...
Forensic tests may fail if samples contain DNA from multiple people
Experts across the world agree that, while DNA analysis for an individual sample is considered to be the gold standard ...
Americans love genetically modified mosquitoes much more than other GMOs
When the news started to spread about a plan to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, it seemed ...
Banning gene editing to modify human embryos could be hasty
For many, the word “designer baby” brings to mind images of eugenics...As a result of this commonly shared fear, the ...
Gene variant may influence coffee consumption by slowing metabolism
A gene that appears to wield influence over the amount of coffee people drink has been found by scientists who ...
