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.
Genetics prof won’t waste his money on a DNA test in 2014
When a reporter for the New York Times set out to test three genetic tests, she received extremely varied results ...
New age of genetic testing advances, despite FDA’s dust-up with 23andMe
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month ordered startup 23andMe to stop marketing its $99 genetic analysis kit, ...
Future pharma: Led by US scientists, glow-in-the-dark pigs bred in China
Pigs engineered with jellyfish DNA to emit a greenish glow in ultraviolet light are a key step in developing effective, ...
Italian woman with genetic disease condemns death threats received after defending animal experiments
An Italian woman suffering from a rare genetic illness has spoken out against the death wishes she was sent after ...
New year, new flu evolution
Every year around this time, the age-old practice of making New Year’s Resolutions takes center stage as millions of people ...
Will 2014 be year of the 1-million-year-old genome?
Dinosaurs resurrected using preserved DNA still only exist in Jurassic Park, but we're making great strides in sequencing the genomes ...
Rewinding cell development: Sisters’ cells reveal rare gene mutation
As siblings, Hayley and Bari Mogul share biological characteristics. Unfortunately one that they share is a rare metabolic disorder that ...
Could doctors diagnose all types of cancer with one drop of blood?
Despite incredible diversity among cancer cells, researchers and startup companies are hoping to find a silver bullet test to diagnose ...
How do cystic fibrosis bacteria evolve to thrive in human lungs?
The bacterium that's the most important pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has genetically evolved and adapted to survive ...
DNA profiles match relatives to bodies after train accident
The agonising wait to claim the bodies of victims of the Nanded Express fire accident continued for their kith and ...
Myriad BRCA test Medicare reimbursement rate (and price?) cut
Medicare reimbursement rates for a popular genetic breast cancer test will drop by half in the new year as a ...
When it comes to human brain, size isn’t everything
According to new research, expansion of the brain in our ancestors ripped apart tethered neurons, enabling new circuits to be ...
DNA sequencing outpaces Moore’s Law
So Moore’s law is the law of the computer industry that says computer power doubles every 24 months or so ...
Genetics of forgetting a face
One in three people have inherited a genetic variation that impairs their ability to remember faces, according to a study ...
Genome analysis of cervical cancer suggests new treatments
Researchers have made a breakthrough when it comes to cervical cancer. They've completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer ...
IVF parents choose girls, to reduce risk of autism
Parents are increasingly asking to choose the sex of their children in an attempt to lower their baby's risk of ...
Idea of genetic mosaicism hits psychiatry
The title of my blog post is provocative, I know, but I’m actually just lifting it from the title of ...
Insurance coverage for genetic counseling varies from state to state
The affordable care act should improve insurance coverage for some genetic tests. But what about the counseling that helps you ...
Reporter David Dobbs revises ‘selfish gene’ coverage under fire
After a controversial article on the Selfish Gene Theory provoked sharp criticism, science writer David Dobbs revised his article and ...
Human family dynamics explained through the lens of bird evolution
Humans often rear their children with help from family and friends. But why would such a strategy evolve? What could ...
Schizophrenia and lower cognitive ability genetically linked
Researchers at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research of Northshore LIJ recently discovered evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia ...
What is heritability anyhow?
Schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism have all had recent attention for being “genetically caused." In scientific research, being genetically ...
DNA techniques show how HIV takes down the immune system
HIV leads to AIDS primarily because the virus destroys essential immune cells called CD4 T cells, but precisely how these ...
As we age, our genomes become less stable
As all humans carry "parasitic" strands of DNA that, when not suppressed, copy themselves and spread throughout the genome, these ...
Humans are a hodgepodge of microorganisms. Might some “genetic” disease be infectious?
If an alien landed and walked up to you, what would the alien think you are? Certainly not human. That’s ...
Patents, personal genetics and progress: Top 10 genetics stories of 2013
This year was brimming with genetics news, from the Myriad BRCA test ruling to the obliteration of the idea of ...
Angelina Jolie’s preventative mastectomy drew attention, but didn’t make people more informed
In modern medicine, few major diseases lack for celebrity representation. But a new study may discredit the cherished notion of ...
