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.
U.S. EPA expands definition of biofuel to include gas from landfills, manure and sewage
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday expanded the types of fuel that can be used to satisfy the federal ...
GM mosquitoes could breed to extinction, leaving malaria parasite no host
Kill the mosquito and you kill the disease. That is the usual approach to controlling malaria. And if done properly, ...
What causes diabetes? Genes and viruses likely culprits
Scientists know there is a genetic component to diabetes, but the origins of the disease remain elusive, with genetics and ...
Cells’ defense systems may play role in causing autism
What causes autism is a mystery. One theory is that a phenomenon called the cellular-danger response lies at the root ...
Massachusetts biotech incentives eclipsed by competitive states
Massachusetts has made its way over the past half-dozen years to being an undisputed leader in biotechnology and life sciences ...
Stem cell creation technique changes their usability
In the process of converting a somatic cell to a stem cell, researchers have questioned whether the resulting cells retain ...
Crimean Karaites hybrid population comprised of ancient Israelite and non-Israelite ancestries
The ancestral origins of the Turkic speaking Crimean Karaites have at times been contentious with several competing theories. This study ...
Evolution sometimes happens without conveying advantage
Generally speaking, we tend to think of evolution in purposeful terms: There must be a reason for difference, an explanation ...
Genetically engineered red blood cells could be drug delivery drones
Red blood cells may one day do more than carry oxygen around the body – they have been genetically engineered ...
H1N1 flu controversially engineered to escape immune system
A controversial scientist who carried out provocative research on making influenza viruses more infectious has completed his most dangerous experiment ...
Quick and dirty gene exchanges not just for bacteria
A single gene from bacteria has been donated to fungi on at least 15 occasions. The discovery shows that an ...
Controversial stem cell papers finally, officially retracted
Following months of controversy, editors at the scientific journal Nature have retracted two high-profile studies that purported to demonstrate a ...
Sherpas inherited ability to thrive in high altitudes from extinct humans
A new study shows that Nepalese people who live at high altitudes have a gene variant inherited from human’s ancient ...
Rare genetic disorder that ended college star’s pro hoops career hopes shines light on Marfan syndrome
Four days before Baylor University basketball star Isaiah Austin hoped to be drafted into the NBA, his dreams of playing ...
Employees can protect themselves against workplace genetic discrimination
As genetic testing and genetic information become increasingly available, it is critical that employers have a full understanding of current ...
UV light absorbtion drove benefit of light skin mutations in human evolution
The popular idea that Northern Europeans developed light skin to absorb more UV light so they could make more vitamin ...
Gene modification of adult cells offers more hope for Type 1 diabetes than stem cells
By deleting a single gene in human gut endocrine progenitor and serotonin-producing cells, researchers reported that they were able convert ...
Developmental brain gene protects against Alzheimer’s disease
More than five million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease. Scientists at Harvard Medical School and their colleagues have ...
Our primate ancestors enjoyed a nip, too
When we think about the origins of agriculture and crop domestication, alcohol isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to ...
Anti-GMO advocates try to scare diabetics off life-saving genetically engineered drug treatment
Usually food-obsessed anti-GMO advocates have turned their sights toward one of modern technology’s must prized successes: genetically engineered synthetic human ...
Woman seeks to ban surrogacy
Jennifer Lahl is on a crusade to outlaw surrogacy, the process by which women lend their wombs to would-be mothers ...
Payout deadline approaches for North Carolina forced sterilization victims
In 1948, as Naomi Schenck was rushed into a North Carolina operating room because she was having a miscarriage, the ...
Faced with a sick brother, reporter wonders whether to get DNA tested
In the fall of 2010, as my brother was dying of colon cancer, I learned a terrifying secret. He also ...
Including vasectomies in court sentencing new eugenics
Put this in the "can they even do that?" files. Jesse Lee Herald of Edinburg, Virginia, received an unusual sentence ...
Early human inter-species breeding results point to fourth mystery species
The evolutionary tree for modern humans a bit of a mess - humans haven’t had a close relative on this ...
Call for integrity for stem cell research amid global controversy
Scientists around the world are campaigning in favor of sensible regulation of stem-cell therapies. We have two reactions: (1) kudos ...
Shaking up science with transgenerational epigenetics and blurred species boundaries
A "top five ideas shaking up science" list from The Guardian and author Michael Brooks hits on two of the ...
