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 determine when and why rheumatoid arthritis is triggered
A new international study has revealed how genetics could explain why different environmental exposures can trigger the onset of different ...
Twin studies in space! Astronaut brothers to explore impacts of spaceflight
NASA is launching a first-of-its-kind study of identical twins to learn more about how long-term spaceflight affects the human body ...
New bipolar treatments possible with stem cell model of disease
Skin cells taken from people with bipolar disorder have been turned into brain cells. These in turn are offering up ...
Cows genetically engineered to make human disease antibodies
A herd of 60 genetically engineered cows in northwestern Iowa could help unlock the key to producing new medicines that ...
Gene expression goes realtime with MRI
Doctors commonly use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose tumors, damage from stroke, and many other medical conditions. Neuroscientists also ...
Why wooly mammoths were so darn extinction-prone
It’s long been known that some of the last woolly mammoths to walk the planet lived in or around the ...
DNA tests show Elvis Presley prone to obesity and heart disease
Elvis Presley may have died because of genetic conditions that made him prone to obesity and heart disease - rather ...
How to dance to show off your genes–and catch a woman’s eye
Want to show off your excellent genetics on the dance floor? Well, biologists have figured out which dance moves are ...
Largest genome ever sequenced: Loblolly pine
A new record: scientists successfully sequenced the genome of the loblolly pine, a 100-foot-tall tree with 23 billion base pairs ...
Revisiting the “gay gene” controversy: Homosexuality is only a disorder if society makes it one
Earlier this year, findings shared at the annual AAAS meeting triggered a firestorm of "gay gene" headlines and reactionary op-eds ...
Genes at the dentist? Fresh take on gum disease
A study published in the Journal of Dental Research suggests a new system for classifying periodontal disease that may allow ...
DNA shows early humans killed off giant ostrich
The moa, a giant, ostrich-like bird, lived on New Zealand until the late 13th century, when it went extinct. But ...
MIT scientists engineer cells that talk to each other
The living and the non-living worlds are not so incompatible after all. A group of researchers have now designed “living ...
Older fathers have less attractive children because genetics
Older fathers have less attractive children because of extra genetic mutations in their genes, scientists have found. Children of older ...
Genetics make some people prone to depression
Why do some people sail through life's difficulties, while others get mired in depression? A certain gene may explain such ...
How to fight ever-evolving tuberculosis
Earlier this month, health officials in Los Angeles confirmed they are treating a patient for extensively drug resistant tuberculosis — ...
You can’t learn everything from your DNA, but what you can could save your life
Between false negatives and false positives, genetic testing isn't a perfect prognosticator. Even so, it can provide life-saving information ...
Facing the limits of DNA-based mug shots
It's being dubbed "molecular photofitting": producing an image of a suspect's face from DNA left at the crime scene. New ...
Everyday forgetfulness may have genetic basis
New research shows that everyday forgetfulness may be caused by a certain gene variant, offering a genetic explanation for people ...
Is good parenting in the genes?
Scared expectant parents are always told that knowing how to take care of their offspring just comes naturally. Turns out ...
Personalized medicine may cost more than cures
Personalized medicine promises to offer targeted, individualized treatment to the masses. But what will it do to the pharmaceutical industry ...
We’ve got more in common with Neanderthals than once thought
If you'd asked me five years ago whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, I'd have said: probably not. I wasn't ...
Can genome editing cure AIDS?
Yes. At least, in theory. But, theory might soon become practice according to the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine ...
Gene linked to low IQ in kids discovered
Scientists have identified a gene variant that is strongly linked to low IQ in kids. The research, led by Peter ...
Your genes give you a unique world of smells–1.7 trillion scents
Humans can distinguish between 1.7 trillion smells on average. Ed Yong blogs about it at National Geographic, revealing in the ...
Genetic mug shots created from DNA samples
Using a new technique, researchers can build photorealistic 3d images of people, virtual mugshots, based on just their DNA ...
Three genetic parents = one healthy baby
Since January, a new California law allows for a child to have more than two legal parents. But children are ...
