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.
‘Synthetic biology’ is difficult to define, even for experts
He was looking quite lost. An eminent scientist and UN delegate was stumbling over the meaning of a term that ...
Fertility clinics adopting high-tech strategies to pick best embryo for implantation
Annika Levitt initially resisted the fertility clinic’s suggestion that only one embryo — rather than the usual two or more ...
Mom’s pregnancy diet affects her children and grandchildren
What mom eats during pregnancy dramatically influences not only the health of her kids but future generations as well. That’s ...
Brain recording lets scientists watch treatments in action, but could harm memory
The man in the hospital bed was playing video games on a laptop, absorbed and relaxed despite the bustle of ...
Missisippi baby with HIV cured by early therapy, now positive for virus’ DNA again
Two months shy of her fourth birthday, paediatricians gave the ‘Mississippi baby’ bad news: her HIV infection, seemingly vanquished by ...
Individual’s genetic info unique in another way: The shape of RNAs
The information contained within a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript goes beyond the protein recipe embedded in its sequence. mRNAs consist ...
In the future, brain implants will cure paralysis and disease
nside the biomedical electronics lab at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, New York, Jeff Ashe, a principal engineer, holds up ...
Estimates of number of human genes dips below 20,000
An analysis of proteomic data from seven studies suggests the human genome contains fewer than 20,000 protein-coding genes, 1,700 fewer ...
False positives and false promises for Alzheimer’s disease
A recent study claims to predict Alzheimer's disease with just a blood test. But analysis of the reported statistics show ...
Redheads not on verge of extinction
Redheads, rest easy: your chances of climate change-induced extinction are identical to those of people with less exhilarating hair colour ...
Fish with a placenta? How did evolution come up with that?
With their impressive fins and stunning colours, the poeciliids—a group of small fish that includes guppies, mollies and swordtails—are understandably ...
C-sections cause epigenetic changes in gene regions regulating babies’ immune systems
Babies coming into the world by cesarean section experience epigenetic changes, a study has found. So far there has not ...
Scientists look for ‘gerontogens’ substances that work with our genes to induce aging
Why do our bodies age at different rates? Why can some people run marathons at the age of 70 while ...
Two mutatons linked to common liver cancer, may help target treatments
Two genetic mutations in liver cells may drive tumor formation in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), the second most common form of ...
Examining California stem cell agency’s shady business ties
Alan Trounson, until very recently president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), has accepted a position on the ...
Video: San Fran startup Cambrian Genomics set to edit your embryo’s DNA
San Francisco startup Cambrian Genomics is making lots and lots of synthetic DNA, some of which they hope to sell ...
Patient with nasal tissue tumor illustrates unknowable side effects of stem cells
A patient at a Portuguese hospital had a nasal tissue tumor removed from the site of an eight-year-old stem cell ...
Is our political identity determined in our genes?
It’s been a key question of American politics since at least 1968: Why do so many poor, working-class and lower-middle-class ...
Smell receptors found all over the body; those in skin may help healing
There are more than 350 types of olfactory receptors in the nose, tuned to different scents. About 150 are also ...
Most of us have some mitchoandrial DNA mutations
The arrival of fast and relatively inexpensive genome sequencing is likely to open whole new avenues for diagnosing and treating ...
Reading and math accomplishment determined by overlapping genes
Forget what they say about math versus verbal scores: The two aren’t dichotomous. Children’s reading and math abilities have a ...
China lifts ban on prenatal genetic testing
The mainland has lifted the controversial ban on medical diagnostic products that can help detect birth defects in unborn children ...
Transgenic, sex-swapped algae reveal potential genetic ‘master switch’ in evolution of the sexes
An experiment in making sex-swapped algae has unveiled a genetic "master switch" in the evolution of sex differences, one of ...
First gene identified with autism
For the very first time, a variation in a gene has been linked to a subtype of autism. While other ...
European scientists boycott Brain Project attempt to fit brain onto computer
The world's largest project to unravel the mysteries of the human brain has been thrown into crisis with more than ...
Doctor argues genetic testing empowers women, should be more available
Several years ago, a new patient booked an appointment with Dr. Jonathan Herman in his Lake Success, NY office. Herman, ...
Smallpox virus found in NIH storage ressurrecting concerns over sample management
Vials of the virus that causes smallpox were found in a National Institutes of Health research building that was unequipped ...
