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.
Fly gene may explain human language evolution
The evolution of language in humans continues to perplex scientists and linguists who study how humans learn to communicate. Considered ...
Reverse reefer madness? Schizophrenia genes predict heavy pot use
Does marijuana smoking cause psychosis? Or could psychosis drive pot smoking? If you believe the panned and parodied 1936 film ...
Fetal genome sequencing must strike balance of too much information
Once you go beyond looking for specific genetic mutations—such as those that cause Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis—and begin exploring ...
What is ‘precision medicine’?
The future of precision medicine means every patient will have treatments and prevention tailored to his or her genes and ...
Nature vs. nurture affects how we age
What makes us age biologically? We have always been intrigued by this question. Yet, it remains a fundamental research challenge ...
To acquire all blood diet, vampire bats lost genes for bitter taste
Vampire bats have lousy taste. But they’re not bitter about it. According to research published today in Proceedings of the ...
Shitty story: Oldest-ever human fossil feces suggests Neanderthal’s omnivory
Poop is the 'perfect evidence' when it comes to answering questions about diet, and a record-setting new find of fossilized ...
Stem cells responsible for fat in bone marrow and consequent disease
Our bones are not stagnant, rock-like things. They change. Marrow—the tissue inside bones—is full of various kinds of cells. And ...
Wade’s genetics of race overestimates evolution’s impact on human culture
In his latest book, Nicholas Wade, a longtime science journalist, argues that evolution by natural selection created human races with ...
Later childbirth related to longer life for moms
Women who naturally conceive their last child after age 33 tend to live longer than those who have their final ...
Under guise of ‘free market’, stem cell start ups take sick patients for risky rides
Some companies are marketing stem cell therapies to sick patients long before they've proven them safe or effective while governmental ...
Genetics likely determine who benefits from vitamins in the developed world
In 1911, Polish biochemist Casimir Funk discovered what was behind a then-mysterious neurological condition known as beriberi, common in regions ...
Brain cancer may have rogue stem cell origin, option for treatment
Glioblastoma and other related malignant glioma tumors including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) are some of the most devastating of ...
Genetic evidence points toward prosperity to explain dramatic expansion of Ashkenazi Jewry
Many people looking at Jewish population history have boggled at the idea of a small group expanding to a few ...
Turning foe friendly: Domestication of infectious disease
With the shortage of antibiotics and resistant infections on the rise, evolutionary biologists might provide alternative for curbing infections disease ...
Herpes viruses infected our ancient ancestors
About two-thirds of people are infected with one of two herpes simplex viruses, oral (HSV-1) or genital (HSV-2). New research ...
Computer program reads facial features to identify rare genetic diseases
Doctors faced with the tricky task of spotting rare genetic diseases in children may soon be asking parents to email ...
As much mystery surrounds Neanderthals’ evolution as their demise
The emergence of Neanderthals is just as mysterious as their disappearance about 30,000 years ago. A study of skulls from ...
Tearing down bacteria’s walls offers hope for new class of treatment
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have made a breakthrough in the race to solve antibiotic resistance. New research ...
Earliest case of irrigation-loving parasite found in Fertile Cresent
The law of unintended consequences may have a longer history than we thought. At a Neolithic settlement in the region ...
Welcome to the strange new world of synthetic biology
Over the past decade, the ease of sequencing and creating DNA has improved so much that the possibilities of genetic ...
Genetics and beer consumption raise risk of mosquito bites
Blood type, metabolism, exercise, shirt color and even drinking beer can make individuals especially delicious to mosquitoes. You come in ...
Pesticide exposure during pregnancy may increase risk of autism
Pregnant women who live near areas where agricultural pesticides are applied experience a higher risk of delivering children with autism ...
Changing climates, mixing genes: Global warming may cause an increase in animal hybrids
A warming climate is shrinking many species' (e.g. polar bears, Bicknell's thrushes) habitats, to their detriment. It's also forcing many ...
Transhumanists target hunger with soy-based nutrition in third world communities
Can DIY-Soylent cure the pangs of World Hunger? Can the alchemists of future food collect sufficient funds to fill the ...
What to do when medical genetic screening reveals unexpected parent
When children's genes are analyzed to understand medical conditions, "incidental" information about parents can be revealed. The medical community has ...
23andMe to work with FDA for approval
23andMe, the health and ancestry startup, is slowly but surely moving along in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory ...
