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.
Q&A: David Altshuler on how to share millions of human genomes
The following is an edited excerpt. To fully understand the role of human genetic variation and its role in disease, ...
Q&A: David Altshuler on how to share millions of human genomes
The following is an edited excerpt. To fully understand the role of human genetic variation and its role in disease, ...
Gene mutation makes cyclist unable to store fat under his skin
The following is an excerpt. Baffled doctors are nothing new to 23-year-old budding Paralympic cyclist Tom Staniford, from Exeter. He has ...
US companies allow stem cell banking
The following is an excerpt. Stem cells, the precursors to other kinds of cells in the human body, promise near-miracle ...
Shaky science of the gene patent ruling
The following is an edited excerpt. In a unanimous ruling yesterday, the Supreme Court held that patenting a gene violates Section ...
Genomics impact on U.S. economy approaches $1 trillion
The following is an excerpt. Despite a slow economy, business in genomics has boomed and has directly and indirectly boosted ...
Police agencies assemble records of DNA
The following is an excerpt. Slowly, and largely under the radar, a growing number of local law enforcement agencies across ...
Nail stem cells regrow fingertips
The following is an excerpt. Doctors could one day use nail stem cells to treat malformed nails or even amputated ...
Scientists identify stability proteins that maintain telomere length
The following is an edited excerpt. Scientists have functionally dissected the molecular processes that ensure the stability of chromosomes. They ...
Public Health England to launch largest cancer database
The following is an edited excerpt. The world's largest database of cancer patients is being set up in England in ...
Scientists create gene therapy virus that targets the retina
The following is an excerpt. Using mouse eyes as a setting for directed evolution, scientists have created a new version ...
New algae genome mapped
The following is an excerpt. It's just a tiny thing - a single-celled organism visible only under a microscope - ...
Building a future with synthetic biology
The following is an edited excerpt. The potential magnitude of human intervention is greater today than ever before. Before the ...
Coronavirus patent latest to complicates treatment
The following is an edited excerpt. The outbreak of a novel coronavirus in the Middle East is raising worldwide health ...
GM foods grow up
Critics of transgenic crops often focus on the seemingly unnatural act of adding something new and alien to a plant's ...
Mother Jones: Is synthetic biology something to fear?
The funded synthetic biology Glowing Plant kickstarter campaign raises questions and fears for some ...
Supreme court limits gene patents in mixed ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court has restricted the ability of companies to patent human genetic sequences ...
23andMe pushes for growth and names a new executive
The following is an excerpt. Personal genetics company 23andMe has named Andy Page as its president, a newly created executive ...
New book delves into synthetic biology and the origin of life on Earth
The following is an excerpt. What is the origin of life on Earth? What is the future of life in ...
Researches create vast network of genes linked to autism
The following is an excerpt. Here's a game of join the dots. Hundreds of genes have been linked to autism, ...
Teen with an ‘infantile’ version of a neurological genetic disease
The following is an excerpt. This week’s post is about a teen who has an “infantile” variety of a neurological ...
Non-invasive blood test for down syndrome
The following is an edited excerpt. Researchers at the Harris Birthright Centre at King's College in London developed a test which analyzes ...
Using baby’s own stem cells to treat heart defect
The following is an excerpt. Every year, about 1,000 babies are born in the United States with half a heart ...
UK: Police told to explain use of unregulated DNA database
The following is an edited excerpt. UK police and intelligence services have been sending terror suspects’ DNA to counterparts around ...
Using mice to search for cancer genes
The following is an edited excerpt. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is at the forefront of a new approach to ...
Building block of life found on martian clay
The following is an excerpt. A meteorite from Mars may hold one of the building blocks of life. Researchers have ...
Scientists identify gene for early puberty
The following is an edited excerpt. Central precocious puberty happens when a child hits puberty before age 9. Nutrition, environment ...
