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.
National Academies gear up to discuss human gene editing implications
The National Academies of Science (NAS) and National Academies of Medicine (NAM) have their work cut out for them as ...
Test-tube baby business booming in cash strapped Greece
Making babies is a business as well as a way of life for father-of-eight Kostas Pantos. As founder of Genesis, ...
Delays in Ebola clinical trials offer lessons for future outbreaks
After failing to deliver new treatments in time to fight the now-waning Ebola epidemic in West Africa, public-health experts are ...
Remarkable success stories bring cancer immunotherapy into the limelight
Oncologist Nizar M. Tannir has seen kidney tumors larger and more aggressive than the 8-inch, 31/2-pound behemoth surgeons removed from Philip ...
The Asilomar conference and its lessons for the regulation of gene-editing
There is a precedent for establishing internationally agreed-upon limits for new science, though it can be hard to do. A ...
Researchers genetically engineer E.coli bacteria to detect cancer and diabetes
In two articles published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers reported they had equipped E. coli bacteria with ...
Is there a genetic basis for being unfaithful?
When I was trained as a psychiatrist we were told to look for various emotional and developmental factors to explain ...
Forensic analysis reveals hominid who lived 430,000 years ago was murdered
It's the coldest of cold cases: a forensic analysis suggests that an ancient human who lived 430,000 years ago died ...
Three developments that will help synthetic biology live up to its promise
Using synthetic biology techniques, researchers have created everything from new flavors and fragrances to new types of biofuels and materials. While the ...
New fossil evidence reignites debate on pace of human evolution
For scientists who study human evolution, the last few months have been a whirlwind. Every couple of weeks, it seems, ...
Arm chair geneticists looking for enlightenment could provide useful data
People who sequence their genomes don’t hinder public health; they offer an opportunity for free data. We should capitalize on ...
Genetically engineered herpes virus offers hope for skin cancer treatment
In a few months time, those suffering from skin cancer may find an unlikely hero in their treatment regimen: herpes. A ...
White House asks scientists to hold off on editing the human genome
Scientists should hold off on experiments that could permanently alter people's DNA and pass the changes along to future generations, ...
What would a world designed with synthetic biology look like?
In a corner of Istanbul’s Design Biennial late last year, photographs of bizarre creatures sat alongside more conventional displays of ...
Breast cancer genetic tests without clinical validity should not be offered, researchers say
A group of international researchers is making the case that genetic tests that look for multiple hereditary genes suspected of ...
Has the Age of Genomics been oversold?
We live in an age of hype. But the overselling of the Age of Genomics — the hype about the ...
Prosthetics industry turns from aesthetics to functionality
When Elizabeth Wright smacks her right leg on a table, she says “ow.” That’s only interesting if you know one ...
Does the brain have to learn how to be sick – or well?
The power of the nervous system lies in its ability to learn, even through adulthood. Networks of neurons discover new ...
Genetically engineered animals with CRISPR-Cas9 edited genes are being developed
As CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology has advanced in the last few years, the number of genetically modified animals made with ...
John Nash, inspiration for ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ dies in car accident
John F. Nash Jr., a mathematician who shared a Nobel Prize in 1994 for work that greatly extended the reach ...
How much useful information can genetic testing provide about disease?
Reading a genome sequence is like consulting an oracle in many ways—the messages must be interpreted carefully and often in ...
Variety of infections linked to lower IQ scores
People who have had an infection that made them so sick they had to be hospitalized may have IQs that ...
Your brain interprets the world differently from everyone else’s
Sometimes, other people interpret your words differently than you may have intended--like you're not on the same wavelength. Turns out ...
Are men really necessary to evolution of a species?
Sex is a messy, inefficient method of reproducing, but most multicellular organisms have evolved to rely on a partner regardless ...
Robot arm helps paralyzed man have drink using only his thoughts
Erik Sorto hasn't been able to move his arms or legs in a decade, after a gunshot wound 13 years ...
Nature vs nuture debate put to rest: Both equally important in determining traits
It has long been a subject of debate: are human traits determined by nurture or nature? Now, a team of ...
White House issues endorsement of microbiome research for health, environment
Advances in gene-sequencing technology have expanded our knowledge of microorganisms, revealing new species in every environment from the upper atmosphere ...
