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.
Why does science denialism persist, and how is it harming society?
The March issue of National Geographic raises many intriguing questions about the world we live in today. It also has a particular ...
First IVF baby in Europe born with DNA selected to eliminate muscular dystrophy risk
The first baby has been born in Europe from a new IVF procedure that checks embryos for devastating genetic disorders ...
First portable DNA sequencer proves fruitful in finding disease quickly and accurately
In June 2014, Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham reported an outbreak of Salmonella infection. It affected 30 patients and staff in two ...
Adjustment to CRISPR method could make gene editing therapy a reality
A tweak to a technique that edits DNA with pinpoint precision has boosted its ability to correct defective genes in ...
We need to reevaluate how we define depression
In the wake of the Germanwings tragedy, mental health advocates are deeply concerned about misleading generalizations that may increase the ...
Understanding autism: Human stem cells offer new research approach
The simplest and most direct method of studying the human brain is to probe the living organ directly. For myriad ...
Long Island research center, NY hospitals join forces to find cancer treatments
Some of the world’s finest scientists live in a former whaling village on the North Shore of Long Island, in ...
Can new research point to origin of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men, often occurs as many smaller tumours in the same prostate, all with ...
How one infant’s death made important contribution to research
When she found out early in her pregnancy that one of her identical twins would die at birth, Sarah Gray ...
Invasion of alien microorganisms: Humans are a walking petri dish, and our genes have been infiltrated
From childhood, we're taught to think of microorganisms as entities apart from us. But they are are really a major ...
Public engagement in science matters key to solving ethical dilemmas
The need for researchers to escape the lab or the seminar room from time to time, and talk to the ...
Could climate change increase species diversity?
A decade ago, ecologist Chris Thomas warned that climate change would wipe out a quarter of all species. In the following ...
Bizarre new insect-like fossil found in Canada
Following hot on the heels – or is that fins? – of the filter-feeder Aegirocassis– Yawunik kootenayi is the latest ancient ...
How biotech is revolutionizing personalized medicine
Over the last several decades, DNA – the genetic material of life as we know it – has completed a remarkable ...
Does size matter enough to inject stem cells directly into your penis?
Does size matter? Can a man get bigger and could he do it via stem cells? An increasing number of ...
Airborne antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in Texas may pose major threat to health
A new study says the DNA from antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in American cattle yards has become airborne, creating a new pathway ...
Is cancer a byproduct of modernity?
If there’s one claim that irritates me that various proponents of alternative medicine like to make, it’s that cancer is ...
Research doesn’t support fish oil’s supposed benefits for cardiovascular health
Fish oil is now the third most widely used dietary supplement in the United States, after vitamins and minerals, according ...
Legal use of genetic information breaches privacy concerns
One of the legally and ethically problematic issues regularly debated in the context of biobanks and tissue repositories is that ...
Invasive surgeries may be replaced with ultrasound therapy
Phyllis is having brain surgery. But she is wide awake. There are no scalpels and no blood, sliced flesh or ...
Why some organisms sacrifice own reproduction for evolution of community
In 2010 three authors—Martin Nowak, Corina Tarnita, and E. O. Wilson—published a paper in Nature (reference and link below) purporting ...
Can biomedical data be boiled down to Amazon.com-style recommendations?
Citizen scientists and research startups have begun to play an important role in creating new data sets for biomedical researchers ...
Is Facebook overstepping privacy boundaries with DNA testing app?
A new medical research study aims to screen the genes of at least 20,000 people. Part of a surging tide ...
Yoghurt from where?! Researcher creates dairy snack from own vaginal microbes
A Ph.D student in the U.S. created yoghurt using the bacterial cultures from her own vagina and ate it. And it turns ...
New brain tumor treatment looks promising, but probably not miracle cure
CBS’ hit newsmagazine 60 Minutes devoted not one but two segments to an early-stage trial at Duke University of a cancer ...
Wealthy parents have bigger-brained children, study shows
Have Mum and Dad got a few quid to spare? You'd better hope so, because the wealthier your parents are, ...
Your cat’s genome may help you out in old age
The cat genome is out of the bag, and has already helped to pinpoint a gene involved in kidney disease ...
