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.
Caribou genetics reveal shadow of climate change
A new look at the genetic history of Caribou suggests that loss of habitat, which is a likely effect of ...
DNA test links genes to suicide in antidepressant users
When a patient first begins to take antidepressants, there is actually a chance that person may commit suicide within the ...
Tiny DNA difference controls how you like or hate specific smells
People react differently to the same smells. Something that smells wonderful to you could be offensive to your friend, but ...
Is female aggression genetic?
Understanding male and female aggression means more than just understanding genetics. According to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the social reasons ...
Teaching students to tinker with genetic engineering is good for education and society
Move over toothpick-and-gumdrop skyscrapers! Today's students use synthetic biology's tools to build genetically engineered organisms ...
Why are some children less prone to obesity? Epigenetics may offer clues
Recent studies on epigenetic inheritance are changing the way scientists view our biology, particularly for inherited factors like obesity or ...
Smart genes: Nature more than nurture determines exam success
A controversial study on twins claims to provide strong evidence that genetic inheritance has a bigger impact on exam success ...
Finding the root of genetic disease in Amish communities
The story began at the Philadelphia children’s hospital late one night in spring 1989, when Dr. Morton found glutaric acid, ...
George Church wonders why you haven’t had your genome sequenced yet
There was a fascinating moment at Google’s Cambridge office when Harvard geneticist George Church asked how many people in a ...
‘Duon’ controversy: Scientists claim second code hiding within DNA, provoking sharp rebuke
In a claim sharply challenged as overhyped, University of Washington scientists say they have "discovered" a second code hiding within ...
How to grow brains in a lab
Bioengineers dream of growing spare parts for our worn-out or diseased bodies. They have already succeeded with some tissues, but ...
Gene therapy staunches hemophillia in test
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine and the Medical College of Wisconsin found that a new kind of gene ...
Want to live to be 500 years old? Worms show the way
Scientists have succeeded in greatly extending the lifespan of a simple worm through "genetic trickery" and hope to begin similar ...
We don’t need to know the genetic analysis of students. We need better teachers.
Robert Plomin is a psychologist of international repute who's most recent work shows that genes matter a lot for learning, ...
People really don’t understand their genetic test results
This month, 23andMe, the most prominent genetic home testing company, stopped offering anything more than ancestry results due to a ...
Our oldest ancestors are warty comb jellies
Saying that our oldest ancestors are warty comb jelliies might not sound too flattering, but it’s an improvement. Until now, ...
Genetic testing: Too much or too little information?
Since ancient times, Oracles, soothsayers, and fortune tellers have been offering prophesies about the future. This desire for foreknowledge leads ...
Baby’s health depends on dad’s diet before conception, not just mom’s
Mothers get all the blame these days but a new paper led suggests that the father's diet before conception may ...
Scientists ID more epilepsy genes
Scientists screening the DNA of large cohorts for known and suspected epilepsy associated genes are finding that, while some genes ...
Reflections from mom whose baby was stillborn on wh 23andMe and other DTC services are so critical
Geneticist Anastasia Bodnar, whose daughter was stillborn earlier this year, reflects on the brouhaha surrounding the personal genomics company 23andMe ...
The tricky task of aligning evolution and environmental influence
An unfortunate outgrowth of the modern revolution in genetics is the widespread belief that the genes of an individual organism ...
DNA plays powerful role in how students do on exams
A new study suggests that genetics may account for 58% of the difference between children's test scores. Will the finding ...
In key ways, great white sharks are more similar to humans than to fish
New research suggests that many of the great white shark’s proteins match humans more closely than they do zebrafish, the ...
Study of breast cancer in dogs may shed light on human cancer
When it comes to dogs, mammary tumors are the most common forms of cancer in females. Now, though, researchers have ...
Science reporters fail to dig deep enough on male v. female brain story
The media went nuts over the recent brain scanning study saying men and women differ when it comes to spatial ...
Setback for stem cell HIV “cure”
Two HIV-infected men who were thought to be clear of the virus after having stem cell transplants have had the ...
Widow fights to keep late husband’s sperm for IVF
A young widow has been told she has just weeks to decide whether to use her late husband’s sperm to ...
