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.
Owning genes
While the country breathlessly waits for the Supreme Court to decide on Obamacare, there is another court battle to keep ...
Are facial expressions genetic?
“The statistical correlation between the facial expressions of sighted and blind individuals was almost perfect,” Matsumoto said. “This suggests something ...
Stress blocks gene that guards brain against depression
Chronic stress appears to block a gene that guards against brain atrophy associated with depression, according to a study in ...
Genetic heart diseases may be responsible for unexplained stillbirths
Genetic researchers have made an important step towards resolving the mystery of the causes of intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), or ...
Bonobo genome completed
In a project led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, an international team of scientists has ...
Spinach ‘reduces epigenetic bowel cancer risk’
Scientists have shown that eating spinach could partially offset the risks of developing the cancers associated with a carcinogen in ...
‘Waking up’ hair follicles could help cure baldness
Experts have found a way of waking the hair follicles to help restore a natural growth ...
Blood-brain barrier building blocks forged from human stem cells
The blood-brain barrier may be poised to give up some of its secrets as researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison ...
How did species evolve? Giants of genetic theory go mano a mano
A disagreement between the twin giants of genetic theory, Harvard University's Richard Dawkins and EO Wilson of Oxford University, is ...
Stem cells in the news and Yokohama, Japan
The tenth annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is winding down in Yokohama, Japan. But ...
Genetic testing for nutrition – it’s finally here
After Nutrigenomix testing, patients will no longer be given generic advice such as “cut back on salt.” Instead, they will ...
South African Police back in Parliament to recommend DNA database
Some years ago a draft bill — the Criminal (Forensic Procedures) Bill — was tabled in Parliament but was sent ...
Fake meat: is science fiction on the verge of becoming fact?
The race to make fake meat just got interesting. Two scientists on opposite sides of the world both claim to ...
Manipulating chromatin loops to regulate genes may offer future treatments for blood diseases
In exploring how proteins interact with crucial DNA sequences to regulate gene activity, researchers have shed light on key biological ...
Some embryonic stem cells more powerful than first believed
Here's a biggie uncovered by scientists led by Samuel L. Pfaff of the Salk Institute: A small number of human ...
Researchers say Parkinson’s cure may lie in the human nose – USA Today
University of Louisville researchers hoping to find a cure for Parkinson's disease have discovered an unlikely potential treatment — stem ...
Genetic control of germination in plant
The tiny seeds of the obligate root parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae do not germinate unless they detect chemical signals ...
Study examines biology of sexual orientation
Is being gay in people's DNA? A new study was launched earlier this year to try and find the elusive ...
A huge step for gene therapy
A new gene therapy from researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital gives hope to children born with an extremely rare ...
Genes significantly misregulated in autistic kids
Scientists have found genetic changes that help explain why one person has an autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and another does ...
Scots-US tie-up on stem cells
Scientists in Scotland and California are to collaborate on medical research that could give new hope to millions with life-threatening ...
Ovarian cancer: experts call for genetic screening
Women with nonmucinous ovarian cancer should be routinely screened for BRCA1/2 mutations, say the Australian authors of groundbreaking research which ...
Diabetes drug may kill cancer stem cells, study says
Results from a new study suggest low doses of the diabetes drug metformin may effectively destroy pancreatic cancer stem cells, ...
Tracking stem cells in the body
Researchers at the University have developed new methods to track stem cells and further understanding of what happens to them ...
Europe tackles ethics of biobanks
Collections of human biological samples used in medical research should be governed by clear rules that safeguard ethics while advancing ...
How kidneys keep hold of early stem cells
Scientists have identified two proteins that are required to maintain a supply of stem cells in the developing kidneys of ...
‘Master molecule’ may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into ...
