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.
Genetic drawbacks of having a manly face
Studying sex differences seldom gets boring. The Darwinian process of sexual selection, in which genes that improve an individual’s reproductive ...
FDA and 23andMe dance around evidence that isn’t there
On December 6, 2013, "the leading health and ancestry DNA service" rebranded itself as "the largest DNA ancestry service in ...
$1000 Genomes for $2000
Illumina claimed they can achieve the $1000 genome at the annual JP Morgan investor conference when they introduced their new ...
New technique separates modern contaminants from ancient DNA
The DNA of a Neanderthal found in a Siberian cave has been sequenced, thanks to a new technique that weeded ...
Using genetic techniques to target just one species of insect
Scientists and biotechnology companies are developing what could become the next powerful weapon in the war on pests — one ...
Ancient bacterial DNA suggest black death might not be gone for good
DNA analysis of the bacteria strains behind two black plague pandemics emerged, independently, from the black rat. That means another ...
Anti-GMO groups don’t understand: GM Cheerios are as dangerous as GM insulin (not at all)
The recent decision of General Mills to produce GMO-free Cheerios is interesting from marketing, political, and biological angles. However, what ...
Old brains may be slow, but still smart
Modern memory tests are selling old brains short. It could be that older, wiser heads are so chock full of ...
Genetic determinism and social Darwinism are making a comeback
If you want to understand why humans wage wars, there is a gene for that. Want to understand why men ...
This may be the kickoff year for genetically-altered humans
By the middle of 2014, the possibility of altering DNA to produce a genetically-modified human could move from science fiction ...
The complex and confusing genetics of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is even more complex than already believed, with rare gene mutations contributing to the disorder. In two studies published ...
Building a better baby
In 2014, BGI, a Chinese company, is hoping that it will soon be able to offer parents a similar option—choosing ...
Surprise: Ancient europeans had dark skin and blue eyes
Ancient Europeans may have been dark-skinned and blue-eyed (a combination rarely found in modern times) according to DNA from a ...
Number of home DNA testing kits in Britain doubled in last two years
Sales of DNA tests for everything from the risk of developing life-threatening diseases to catching out cheating partners are booming. The ...
Corporate DNA testing could put our genetic privacy at risk
There is another aspect of 23andMe’s business, one which has received less attention from the media (with the exception of ...
Neanderthal DNA linked to good health and bad
Scientists have found that Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for tens of thousands of years in Europe and Asia and ...
Overclocking your brain? Be careful
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) head-sets send electrical currents straight through your skull and into your brain, but do they ...
More children of sperm donors seek identify of their genetic fathers
John Robbart, a 23-year-old from San Diego, Calif., has known he was conceived using a sperm donor for as long ...
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing just not ready for prime time
Stories keep coming in from people who signed up for genetic testing and received strange, conflicting, or just plain wrong ...
Dog DNA test can be full of surprises
In 2005, the Dog Genome Project was mapped out, making it possible to see the differences in the DNA of ...
FBI review of national database finds errors in DNA profiles
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, in a review of a national DNA database, has identified nearly 170 profiles that probably ...
Cancer cells with doubled genomes more deadly
Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that accidental DNA doubling in bowel cancer cells could predict which patients have potentially ...
Is 2014 the year of the thousand-dollar genome?
For this “TechKnow,” our contributors were given the option to test their genetics through a mail-order DNA kit from personal ...
Epigenetics involved in cocaine addiction
Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai say they have identified a new molecular mechanism by which ...
Diet changes alter the human gut microbiome
Long-term dietary intake influences the structure and activity of the trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gut, but it ...
Infectious cancer contains 11k-year-old dog genes
Call it the Methuselah mutt. There are genes from a dog that lived 11,000 years ago in an infectious cancer ...
Human stem cells repair damaged retinal tissue in mice
Human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from human umbilical cord-blood are capable of repairing damaged retinal vascular tissue in mice, ...
