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.
Chinese scientists ‘edit’ DNA in human embryo
Chinese researchers reported that they edited the genes of human embryos using a new technique called CRISPR. While these embryos will ...
How human-like apes spurred theory of evolution
In 1838, orangutans were still frighteningly unfamiliar to Europeans. In fact, all the great apes were a mystery because they lived thousands ...
Geology, genetics, and forensic science come together for criminal justice
On a Saturday night in October 1977, Lorna Dawson was studying in her dormitory at the University of Edinburgh, UK, ...
Drug-resistant malaria poses serious threat in Africa
Early indicators of the malaria parasite in Africa developing resistance to the most effective drug available have been confirmed, according ...
Remembering victims of North Carolina eugenics sterilization program
John Railey was part of a team of reporters at the Winston-Salem Journal who in 2002 revealed the inner workings ...
Treating multiple sclerosis may rely on stem cell stimulation
Two drugs already on the market — an antifungal and a steroid — may potentially take on new roles as ...
Link between serotonin and depression ‘marketing of a myth’
The widely held belief that depression is due to low levels of serotonin in the brain and that raising those ...
Genetic analysis reveals no common link in autism
The search for genes that contribute to the risk for autism has made tremendous strides over the past 3 years ...
New genetic test will make breast cancer screening affordable for more women
A Silicon Valley start-up with some big-name backers is threatening to upend genetic screening for breast and ovarian cancer by ...
Experimental cancer treatment literally dissolves tumor
The 49-year-old woman had had three melanoma growths removed from her skin, but now the disease was spreading further. A ...
IBM’s Watson promises breakthroughs in personalized medicine
A new IBM business unit launched last week to help physicians, researchers, insurers and patients use big data, analytics and ...
Progress in de-extinction genetics might bring extinct frog back to life
For the past six years, Australian researchers have had just one week every year to chase the stuff of science ...
Can you accept science of genetics and still have faith in God?
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, is known as the geneticist behind the Human Genome ...
Working woman’s dilemma: Freeze your eggs or freeze your career?
If you're a woman in your late twenties or beyond, if you have no serious life partner, or if you ...
Forensic scandal: FBI admits it provided false testimony in bungled hair analyses
The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed ...
Primate sleep patterns help explain human evolution
Watching an orangutan sleep is like watching a giant, orange baby slumbering sweetly. These huge great apes like to get ...
Seal placentas prove invaluable to conservation genetics research
Conservationists regularly test the genetic makeup of many endangered species in order to understand the threats they face and, sometimes, ...
New blood test could replace biopsy in detecting and monitoring cancer
In the usual cancer biopsy, a surgeon cuts out a piece of the patient’s tumor, but researchers in labs across ...
Why dieting won’t help you lose weight, explained by evolution
When it comes to keeping weight off, a combination of circumstances conspires against you. Each one on its own makes ...
3D-printed replacement organs may be close at hand
The advent of three-dimensional (3D) printing has generated a swell of interest in artificial organs meant to replace, or even ...
What explains the dog-human love affair?
Wolves are wild, powerful, and fearsome predators, capable of bringing down even large prey. And yet, tens of thousands of ...
What’s the ideal amount of exercise for a healthy life?
Exercise has had a Goldilocks problem, with experts debating just how much exercise is too little, too much or just ...
“Orphan Black” is back! Reflections on reproductive cloning and eugenics
The Clones are Coming: Airing on BBC America, the popular show Orphan Black already has included a goldmine of conversation ...
How is genetic risk for breast cancer evaluated?
A letter in the current People magazine referring to Jolie’s recent announcement of the removal of her ovaries, following a double ...
Racial health differences caused by society, not genetics
It is no secret that a longer life is a white privilege in the U.S. In 2011, the Centers for ...
Dutch height shows humans still subject to natural selection
Insecure about your height? You may want to avoid this tiny country by the North Sea, whose population has gained ...
Genetic tests in clinic fall short for prescribing best cancer therapy
Many cancer patients in clinics across the United States might be getting inaccurate information from DNA analyses that are intended ...
