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.
Genes play roll in pain tolerance differences between patients
Researchers may have identified key genes linked to why some people have a higher tolerance for pain than others, according ...
Marker-assisted plant breeding: agricultural genetics without GMOs
Marker-assisted selection is a fancy way of saying plant breeders are using genetics to "preview" their crops and streamline the ...
Taboo: The left’s problem with genetics of race and sex and human differences
Hard-wired differences among groups is one of the most controversial subjects in society, whether we are discussing race or sex ...
Mummy geneticist’s memoir
In the summer of 1981, a Swedish graduate student named Svante Paabo filled a laboratory at the University of Uppsala ...
Down syndrome and leukemia risk explained by genes
In science, technological advances often serve to deepen medical mysteries, as researchers peel away the next layer of the onion ...
Parkinson’s may be caused by autoimmune gene expression
The cause of neuronal death in Parkinson’s disease is still unknown, but a new study proposes that neurons may be ...
Google’s biotech company Calico poaches prominent SF geneticist
Google's mysterious health venture dedicated to extending human life has quietly lured a prominent scientist away from UCSF, The Chronicle ...
Staph may have acquired resistance genes for common antimicbrobial hand sanitizers
Sneezing out antimicrobial snot may sound like a superpower, but it actually could be a handicap. Triclosan, an omnipresent antimicrobial ...
Replacement arteries working in human patients
Even in the 1990s, the procedure seemed primitive. Laura Niklason watched it repeatedly as a medical resident at Boston’s Massachusetts ...
Cloned embryonic stem cells re-ignite ethics debate
Researchers have created cloned stem cells from men's skin cell samples in a lab, in the process creating cloned embryos ...
State lawmakers hold genetic counseling regulation hostage with ‘conscience clause’
Seeking a state licensing processes genetic counselors have pushed for legislation. Lawmakers have forced the inclusion of conscience clauses that ...
Epigenetics might explain how humans differed from Neanderthals despite very similar genes
The DNA sequences of Neanderthals and other extinct human relatives have exposed lost migrations, sexual escapades and even new species ...
Donor conceived kids sometimes struggle with identity
When I was 7 years old, my father told me I was conceived through an anonymous sperm donation. As he told ...
MIT-Harvard Institute patents CRISPR gene editing technique
One of the most important genetic technologies developed in recent years is now patented, and researchers are wondering what they ...
Adult cells cloned to create embryos that match adult donors
Scientists for the first time have cloned cells from two adults to create early stage embryos, and then derived tissue ...
If you’re rich enough to freeze your eggs can you stop your biological clock?
There comes a point in every childless woman’s life, usually around 35, when the larger world becomes very interested in ...
Microbiome imbalances may impact seasonal allergies
When we think of allergies, we typically think of the itchy eyes and sneezing fits that are the hallmark of ...
It’s time for a cancer genomics revolution
Cancer genomics has produced some major successes; genetically tailored drugs are around the corner in the UK. But as this ...
Teenage cancer survivor sequences her very rare tumor
As a child, Elana Simon suffered for years from crippling stomach pain. Yet despite trips to multiple specialists, her pain ...
New Ebola outbreak from novel strain
The Ebola virus that has killed scores of people in Guinea this year is a new strain — evidence that ...
Proteins on surface of egg and sperm must couple for fertilization
Juno, a long-sought protein named after the Roman goddess of fertility and marriage, has been discovered on the surface of ...
DNA test that replaces Pap smear draws criticism
A high-tech screening tool for cervical cancer is facing pushback from more than a dozen American patient groups, who warn ...
Genes may determine who recovers quicker from concussion
Six months off may not be long enough for the brains of football players to completely heal after a single ...
Dad’s waistline may affect child’s autism status
Looking at the family records for over 90,000 women who were pregnant in Norway between 1999 and 2008, and analysing ...
Anti-GMO fear of ‘foreign’ genes? Ferns are latest examples of ‘natural’ genetic modification
Ag biotechnology opponents fret that transferring genes across species is "unnatural" and "dangerous." But it happens in nature--naturally. A study, ...
Searching for the super genius genes
BGI wants to sequence everything and everyone on the planet. It's particularly interested in finding the genes for genius. A ...
Genetically engineering humans for enlightenment?
Transhumanist David Pearce thinks the best way to create a better world is through genetic engineering to halt human and ...
