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.
Researcher probes why viruses remain genetically stable for some time, then rapidly mutate
Unlike most kids, Katia Koelle’s first love was math, a passion she picked up from enthusiastic instructors. “One of my ...
Live to be 100+? Extreme longevity research is futuristic privatized enterprise
When longevity research is privately funded, what happens when the money runs dry? ...
How brushing your teeth affects the microbiome of the placenta and infant
I’ve written in the past regarding some of the seminal hypotheses of how the microbiome influences our health, behavior, and ...
Alzheimer’s, heart disease and other age-related conditions share risk factors and genetics
The two seemingly unrelated conditions may be driven by similar unhealthy states, including high blood pressure and diabetes. According to ...
Evolution do-over might lead to the same place
Scientists have often wondered if evolution happened all over again, what would life on earth look like? A Harvard biologist ...
Do cancers act as a DNA time machine?
Are cancers an evolutionary atavism, revealing the genetic history of humankind? Might physicists be the key to winning the War ...
Cervical cancer virus DNA can be detected in urine
Dread going for a smear test? A simple urine test can pick up the human papilloma virus (HPV) that causes ...
Rhino poacher caught through DNA bank
Customs officials spotted the horn in the luggage of a passenger as he passed through Changi Airport, Singapore. When they ...
Cutting edge DNA test needed in rape case involving identical twin
The rape suspect, court papers said, was identified by a longtime friend who said they committed the crime together. The ...
Random events in human development important for both nature and nuture
Is our behavior determined by genetics, or are we products of our environments? What matters more for the development of ...
Love of music likely in our genes
Are you clueless about why your partner has an innate drive for music while you just cannot understand hip-hop or ...
Human enhancement upsets extremists on left and right
The prospects of a fast-approaching Age of Enhancement evokes caution in almost everyone, scientist or otherwise. It has been the ...
First patient recieves stem-cell retina in Japan
A Japanese woman in her 70s is the world's first recipient of cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, a ...
Gene clusters responsible for schizophrenia and patients’ unique disease profiles
Schizophrenia is not a single disease caused by one gene, but rather a group of eight distinct genetic disorders — ...
More genes for prostate cancer, better predictions of inherited risk
An international team of scientists has identified 23 new genetic variants linked to a greater risk for prostate cancer. Although ...
Gut microbiome makes flu vaccine more or less effective
Proteins from intestinal microbes can enhance the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine, according to a mouse study. While the ...
For premature babies, epigenetics maybe link to high cholesterol later in life
It has been said that cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and elevated lipids have a beginning in childhood, ...
Breath test for lung cancer mutations
Scientists have shown that minimal genetic changes can be detected in vapour containing cells engineered to replicate early stage lung ...
Call it what it is: Mitochondrial replacement does not a three-parent baby make
Mitochandrial replacement offers hope to families debilitated by disease. But opponents stoke fear of public by dumbing down the science ...
New IVF technique may cut multiple births, complications
Although IVF has been used for decades and is considered very safe, the procedure does increase pregnancy risks because it ...
Engineered spleen fights sepsis
Researchers have developed a high-tech method to rid the body of infections — even those caused by unknown pathogens. A ...
New BRCA findings in Jews not strong enough for universal genetic screening
Once again we are rushing to send a public health message to women to get screened based on limited evidence ...
World not ready for Ebola to develop into an airborne mutation: 1.2 million could die
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has the potential to alter history as much as any plague has ever done ...
Some people with Alzheimer’s brain plaques rev up cognition to compensate
It's one of the biggest mysteries of Alzheimer's. The disease is associated with the formation of protein plaques in the ...
1 in 27 Japanese babies concieved with IVF
One out of about 27 babies born in Japan in 2012 was conceived by in vitro fertilization, a sharp increase ...
Large genomic study identifies genes for developmental delays
Charting parts of the genome likely to contain faulty genes is enabling researchers to home in on genes involved in ...
Pipeline drugs for ovarian cancer will genetically match patients
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. You might not notice. Ovarian cancer shares the back-to-school educational National Health Observances slot with ...
