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.
Male-dominated prosthetics industry fails to serve women amputees
When a woman puts on a prosthetic foot or a knee or an arm, she often finds that it’s not quite ...
Where does the world stand on human germline gene editing?
In a still ongoing on-line poll, readers of the Knoepfler Lab Stem Cell blog show a pattern of consistently favoring a moratorium ...
NY Times article sparks call for greater ethical awareness in science journalism
Major media, New York Times included, have a history of hyping up what turned out to be erroneous claims linking complex ...
‘The Dress’ debate rages on: 23andMe tackling genetics behind illusion
The Internet has finally recovered from the great dress debate of 2015, but genetic testing firm 23andMe is still focused ...
Do out-of-pocket genetic tests work against health care system?
Health insurance companies usually cover certain genetic testing as part of treatment (though they often pay little, if anything, for ...
Protein illuminates gene expression, may explain how tumors form
Scientists at York University in Toronto report that they discovered how living beings can keep gene expression in check. They ...
Head trauma linked to severe neurological problems for professional football players
The types of brain damage that can occur as a result of being a professional football player have received increased ...
SynBio is fast lane to entrepreneurial high tech opportunities
Software development used to be the only low barrier entry point to the high tech-sector, but now is the time ...
Your eye may be a window to your moral conscience
People asked to choose between two written moral statements tend to glance more often towards the option they favour, experimental ...
How do we weigh benefits and risks of human gene editing?
Replacing faulty genes in early human embryos and germ cells is within our grasp. Such changes affect DNA in the ...
Is your genetic information safe? Questions emerge over California and other states’ DNA collection programs
Nintey-eight percent of all babies born in the United States have a tiny prick of their blood screened for a few ...
Gold particles provide luminous peek into brain
Light can be used to activate normal, non-genetically modified neurons through the use of targeted gold nanoparticles, report scientists from ...
Unlocking healing powers of the ‘neuroplastic’ brain: Norman Doidge on why ancient faith healers may have been right
Organizational anthropologist and new GLP contributing writer addresses the 'mysteries of the mind'--how the natural plasticity of the brain can ...
Microbes, like genes, pass from one generation to next
The mountains of genomic-sequencing data generated by the National Institutes of Health's Human Microbiome Project and recent studies provide strong ...
It’s 2015: Do you know where your genetic data are?
Are pharmaceutical or insurance companies looking at your DNA? Even when genomes do not identify individuals to which they belong, ...
Challenging hype around “printing” 3D arms and legs?
Recently there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the promise of 3D printed limbs. Everywhere from The New York Times ...
Do we have bacteria DNA in our genomes?
Many animal genomes include bacterial and fungal genes acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) during evolution, according to a study ...
Why human pheromone myth persists despite lack of scientific evidence
Every year around Valentine's Day, there is a rash of stories in the news about sexy smells and pheromones. You ...
Technology is here: Using gene editing to prevent cancer
If anyone had devised a way to create a genetically engineered baby, I figured George Church would know about it ...
For some pregnant women, prenatal genetic test results in cancer diagnosis
MaterniT21 PLUS was the first noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) to hit the market, in October 2011, and Sequenom has sold ...
Anus is no laughing matter: How unlikely organ shaped animal evolution
The anus is one of the most important parts of many animals; an essential structure that changes how an organism’s ...
23andMe to employ wealth of genetic data in research for cures
Personal genetics firm 23andMe is planning to use its database of health information to research possible cures for a range ...
New packaging for old idea: Can a sense of purpose improve cardiac health?
Media are quick to promote sketchy studies suggesting that a "sense of purpose" is linked to good health. But feeling ...
How human are you? Research suggests we carry over 100 foreign genes
You’re not completely human, at least when it comes to the genetic material inside your cells. You—and everyone else—may harbor ...
New stem cell clinic feigns government approval with provocative name
Some American stem cell clinics that operate without FDA approval can give the appearance of being in the mainstream of ...
False memories implanted in mouse’s brain during sleep
Mice can recall artificial memories created during sleep once they’re awake, researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research ...
Will genetically modifying embryos create real life dystopia?
Citing safety fears for babies, genetics researchers called for a halt to experiments that would alter the DNA of human ...
