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.
Scientists find genetic basis for slow metabolism, obesity
For the first time, scientists have identified a genetic mutation associated with two major contributors to obesity: increased appetite and ...
Epigenetics may tie diabetes to dementia
Altered genomic regulation of expression of key synaptic proteins may be responsible for the increased risk of dementia seen in ...
How to create alien life? Use human DNA, of course
Five decades after cracking the genetic code, scientists have discovered how to re-code DNA cells and build new proteins. The ...
Study identifies more Alzheimer’s genes
Researchers have taken a major step towards understanding the causes of Alzheimer's disease with the largest study yet into the genetics of the disorder ...
Are humans reversing cat domestication by neutering pets?
When your cat sees a stranger, does he come and snuggle close or hiss and run away? Whether a feline ...
Slave descendant’s genetic quest leads to African apology
African-American businessman William Holland's ancestors were subjected to slavery in Virginia — but they were handed over into slavery by ...
Rare genetic variant reduces heart disease risk from dietary fat
We all know people who seem to have been born with good genes—they may smoke, never exercise, or consume large ...
New technique to amplify ancient DNA for study
Really old human DNA (we’re talking thousands of years) holds amazing secrets about our distant past. What did we look ...
Will the public still fear GMOs in 100 years?
Innovations like aviation and vaccines have been huge contributions to modern society, despite initial public opposition. The same could be ...
Faces are sculpted by ‘junk DNA’
Researchers have started to figure out how DNA fine-tunes faces. In experiments on mice, they have identified thousands of regions ...
Dogs (and humans) might have some of their older sibling’s cells
Here's a mystery: A golden retriever gives birth to a litter of puppies. It's not her first birth, and something's ...
Genes may dictate which microbes thrive on your body
Scouring the genomes and body-wide microbial communities of 93 people, researchers have discovered a link between the composition of the ...
Extra gene makes mice manic
Duplication of a single gene — and too much of the corresponding protein in brain cells — causes mice to ...
Former IVF baby weighs in on three-parent IVF
I have my parents, and biotechnology, to thank for bringing me into this world; I was an IVF baby. Given this ...
Ethnicity might determine the bacteria in your mouth
Fingerprints are one of, if not the only things unique to each and every individual. For this reason, it makes ...
Promise and peril of synthetic biology
Work in the field of synthetic biology creates a dual use ethical dilemma--the techniques that help us learn to cure ...
Study uses herpes virus to track human migration across the globe
The genomic analysis of different strains of the herpes virus reveals migration patterns of early humans ...
Mysteries of autism and schizophrenia unlocked by new cell study techniques
When Feng Zhang was in graduate school, he discovered that the tools for splicing new genes into living cells were ...
Rain keeps giraffe species from interbreeding in Kenya
We tend to think of giraffes as a single species, but in Kenya not one but three types of giraffe ...
Dog cloning to arrive in Britain
One British owner will be offered a genetic replica of their dog for free as part of the UK launch ...
“Jumping DNA” explains why humans are less genetically diverse than chimps
Our genome isn’t static; some of it can move about. We’re loaded with stretches of DNA that can copy themselves ...
Cuckold alert! Who’s your daddy? Probably your daddy, says DNA paternity study
Despite the popularity of paternity tests and the guest lineup of the "Maury Povich" show, most men are not being ...
DNA tests prove Dublin blonde-haired Roma girl taken by police from parents is part of family
DNA tests have proved that a seven-year-old girl taken from a Roma family in Dublin on Monday is their daughter. The ...
Giant pandas’ genetic diversity helps them adapt to environmental change
Despite the dwindling number of giant pandas, researchers think the species has more genetic diversity than some other endangered animals ...
Physical cues nudge mature cells back into an embryonic-like state
Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that physical cues can replace certain chemicals when nudging mature cells ...
Social insects can’t recognize their kin, and that’s good for the group
W.D. Hamilton pointed out, in an article that revolutionized the study of social evolution, that you can pass on genes ...
Genetic variation alters efficacy of antidepressant
Long-term complications after heart surgery, which can affect memory and thinking, appear to be linked to particular genes. It is ...
