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.
$1000 genome may finally be in sight
Despite all the talk, no company has yet met the goal of sequencing a human genome for $1,000 or less ...
Using DNA to personally predict drug reactions
Scientists searching for a way to avoid prescribing medications to patients that may cause dangerous physical or behavioral responses are ...
Co-evolution of human and microbe reduces risk of stomach cancer
The Colombian town of Tuquerres, nestled high in the Andes Mountains, has one of the highest rates of stomach cancer ...
Huge new genomics study searches for roots of genetic disease in 100k people
Here comes genomics, Take 2. Pharmaceutical companies invested heavily in genetic studies in the frenzy after the sequencing of the ...
Injecting DNA in the brain: What’s the promise of gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease?
Gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a number of challenging diseases, such as leukemia. Now, scientists are hoping ...
Gene therapy successful in treating leukemia. Can it be used to fight other cancers as well?
A new cancer treatment pioneered at the University of Pennsylvania has generated a lot of excitement in the field and ...
Are redheads genetically less attractive?
The scientific answer to the question “is there a basis for the stereotype that redheads are unattractive” is what someone ...
Minn. Dept of Health required to destroy newborn blood samples, after controversy
By the end of January 13, 2014, the Minnesota Department of Health plans to have destroyed about 1.1 million archived ...
Control and access to DNA in today’s high-tech world
In today’s high-tech world, our privacy concerns typically revolve around usernames, passwords and PIN numbers. But one piece of personal ...
Do memes mutate and adapt like DNA? Yes, say Facebook data scientists
According to new research from Facebook data scientists, internet memes adapt to their surroundings in order to survive, just like ...
Using DNA to combat human trafficking
Brenda Maribel Corado was walking down a street in Guatamala when two women beat her and snatched away her three-week-old ...
Here’s your chance to own a genetically-modified glow-in-the-dark plant
Perhaps you remember the wildly successful but also controversial Glowing Plant Kickstarter. Perhaps you're even patiently waiting for your glow-in-the-dark ...
Scientists alarmed by so-called stem cell “therapies”
The dubious business of selling so-called stem cell "therapies" seems to be gathering momentum, and some scientists are becoming quite ...
Complicated truths of donating eggs
When agencies advertise for egg donors, the ads never say, “Do you have a big heart?” They usually have a ...
FTC charges GeneLink with false advertising
It sounded like a miracle of science and convenience: swab your cheek and drop the saliva sample in the mailbox ...
23andMe uncovers semen switching at a fertility clinic
A young women conceived with help from a fertility clinic in Utah in the early 1990s is actually the biological ...
Resurrected 700 year-old water flea eggs show human impacts on evolution
DNA evidence says some tiny water fleas hatched from eggs at the bottom of a Minnesota lake, are 700 years ...
23andMe’s rush to market irresponsible
Pretty soon, you'll be able to swab your nose or mouth at home and be able to find out whether ...
Genetics might explain preferences of heat or cold
As half the country recovers from record low temperatures, scientists have found that genetics plays an important role in human ...
Shark genome may help explain bone formation
By decoding the genome of the elephant shark, researchers are learning about the genetics of bone formation and bone diseases ...
Wal-Mart’s donkey/fox meat mix-up in China spurs DNA tests
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) said it’s adding DNA tests of meat it sells in China after recalling donkey products from ...
Rare mutation may explain Tourette syndrome
A rare genetic mutation that disrupts the production of histamine may help researchers unravel the mystery that surrounds Tourette syndrome ...
British four-year olds offered DNA tests, to teach about obesity
Children as young as four years old are being offered DNA tests that will help determine the kind of diet ...
Multitasking skill may be genetic
Human factors/ergonomics researchers have long studied the connection between cognitive function and the ability to perform well on multiple simultaneous ...
Pittsburgh Zoo’s new cheetahs “genetically valuable”
From South Africa to Pittsburgh — four cheetahs are now living at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. The animals ...
DNA may be the best way to preserve data
Recording media and storage devices last decades, but DNA stores information for thousands of years. Maybe we should store our ...
Do patents help or hinder stem-cell research?
As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, ...
