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.
Research uncovers potential genetic cause of asthma
An international team of scientists has identified the primary genes that place some children at high risk of severe childhood ...
Bacteria able to integrate ancient, damaged DNA into their genome
Bacteria are known to take in long fragments of DNA, discarded by the dead cells of other organisms, and incorporate ...
Genetics of the human gut microbiome might be the next big thing
Even genetically similar individuals play host to vastly different communities of gut bacteria, a study says--a reminder of how little ...
Scientists demonstrate creativity of natural selection with E. coli research
Biologists at Michigan State University have frozen 50,000 generations of E. coli over the past 25 years to demonstrate Darwin’s ...
The first GMO (Hint: Human’s best friend)
Are dogs the earliest examples of GMOs? While the conventional definition of a genetically modified organism is the lab insertion ...
Answer to blindness hidden in the genes
Jasmine Carrero has big doelike eyes, an almond-shaped face and a willowy frame that she calls boyish. She also has ...
Judge to allow suspect to throw suspicion on identical twin in DNA sexual assault case
A judge says an Army artillery officer linked by DNA to a string of sexual assaults on young girls will ...
Home DNA test kit offers peace of mind for parents
A $99 DNA kit is helping some families unlock genetic mysteries in the privacy of their home. Craig and Lynn ...
Two women bond over genetic illness
They met and bonded over Facebook - two desperately sick women with extremely rare illnesses glad to find someone with ...
Drug trial, dubbed ‘Master Protocol,’ uses tumor genomics to customize treatments
According to a new article, the future of cancer drug research may lie in drug trials that are based on ...
Many women with breast or ovarian cancer genes don’t opt for interventions
Many women who carry the high-risk genes for breast and ovarian cancer are not taking preventive steps such as surgery ...
Outcry over Australian prenatal screening for autism
The internet was ablaze last week with the news that health authorities in Western Australia (WA) have given approval for ...
Meanness, alas, is in our genes
Mean is in the cradle. Many scientists believe the tendency toward antisocial behaviour is present in a small but constant ...
Lyme bacteria show that evolvability is evolvable
Some gamblers succeed by spiriting cards up their sleeves, giving them a wider range of hands to play. So do ...
Genetics in the Caribbean show marks of Atlantic slave trade
The Caribbean's complex history has given the area more than diverse languages and delicious food. The indigenous South Americans, Europeans ...
Telomeres lengthened by weight-loss surgery
Researchers have found that gastric bypass surgery, which can assist in weight loss, may also lengthen telomeres and, as a ...
Many would give private health info to insurers to save a few bucks
Many Americans say they'd submit to insurance company medical tests and lifestyle monitoring in exchange for lower-cost premiums, a new Harris ...
Deciphering genomic data via video games
So much data, so little time. That’s the problem confronting geneticists studying the bewilderingly complex human genome, in which no ...
Single-cell genome sequencing gets better
Researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have generated the most complete genome sequences from single ...
DNA hint of European origin for dogs
The results of a DNA study suggest that dogs were domesticated in Europe. No-one doubts that "man's best friend" is ...
Are Republicans really anti-science?
For years, the Republicans have been labeled the "anti-science" party. But, a new article explores and challenges the basis for ...
Open-access genome project lands in UK
The open-access genome project in the UK, led by Genomics England, has a lot in common with the Personal Genome ...
Ancestry and bitter tastes
I do love me some sprouts! Greens, bitters, strong flavors of all sorts. I’ve always been like this. Some of ...
What’s it like to live in the age of genome sequencing?
Every child born in the United States is today screened for diseases at birth, though the range of testing is ...
Angelina Jolie revelation tripled breast, ovarian cancer genetic testing
The number of Australian women referred to genetic clinics tripled immediately after Angelina Jolie's announcement that she carried a faulty ...
Breast cancer researchers identify genetic ‘switch’
Queensland scientists have identified a genetic "switch" that indicates whether breast cancer is aggressive and likely to spread. The discovery may provide a ...
Bitter taste gene may have been evolutionarily beneficial
It can be puzzling sometimes when someone else finds the taste of your favorite food to be disgusting, but research ...
