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 make breakthrough with retinal tissues from stem cells
A research team said it has produced stratified retinal tissues from human embryonic stem cells for the first time in ...
GM crops: Bring on the beneficial bugs
Chinese scientists have developed a new type of GM cotton engineered to make its own chemical protection against cotton pests ...
Personal Genomics: DNA helps Michelle Obama discover white ancestral roots, provides window into history of slavery
One of the remarkable innovations brought on by the DNA revolution is the ability to trace our personal and family ...
Knowing yeast genome produces better wine
The yeast Dekkera bruxellensis plays an important role in the production of wine, as it can have either a positive ...
“Friendly” stem cells help others in times of stress?
Stanford postdoctoral scholar and cancer researcher Bikul Das, PhD, published some interesting findings in Stem Cells this morning regarding the ...
Human microbiome project provides census of thousands of microbes that live in and on us
It was a major feat when more than a decade ago, scientists deciphered the first human genome, containing 22,000 or ...
Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for biomedical science
With their potential to treat a wide range of diseases and uncover fundamental processes that lead to those diseases, embryonic ...
Vein grown from stem cells saves 10-year-old girl
Doctors in Sweden have replaced a vital blocked blood vessel in a 10-year-old girl using the first vein grown in ...
Stroke patients see ‘improvements’ after stem cell trial
The first patients to take part in a clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for stroke have seen reductions ...
Timeline: A brief history of stem cell research
From early fetal tissue research to the first successful human treatments, this timeline documents the progress in stem cell science, ...
Older dads may produce offspring with long lives, study suggests
Fathers who wait until they're almost 40 to have children may provide a unique benefit to their offspring: longer lives ...
Cell transplantation of lung stem cells has beneficial impact for emphysema
When autologous (self-donated) lung-derived mensenchymal stem cells (LMSCs) were transplanted endoscopically into 13 adult female sheep modeled with emphysema, post-transplant ...
Is genetic testing for dementia appropriate?
Would you want to know if you had a genetic risk factor forAlzheimer's or dementia? And, if you did know, ...
The epigenetic jury is still out on C-sections
Unbeknownst to Bennett, giving his wife a C-section might have affected their daughter’s DNA, her children’s and her grandchildren’s. People ...
Let’s get real on synthetic biology
EXCITING but terrifying. Powerful but scary. This is what some say about the emerging field of synthetic biology. Not surprising, ...
A brief history of stem cell research
The stories of research involving human embryonic stem cells and the policy governing that work are intertwined and stretch back ...
Ready or not, genomics is coming to hospitals
This year, at a faster pace than many industry insiders anticipated, we're seeing genomics enter the world of real-life care ...
Eatings disorders linked to genes
There should be no guilt or shame with an eating disorder. These feelings are common. But new research tells us ...
Doctors try to make sense of cancer’s genetic jumble
Not too long ago, knowing the organ where a cancer first takes hold was generally all a doctor needed to ...
Adult stem cells: Big benefit, no controversy
In my research for these articles to find newer items, ideas, and medical advancements for and about people with disabilities, ...
Brave new world of genetics requires safeguards, some experts say
Advancements in human genetic research could lead to improved patient care, but safeguards are needed to protect against the misuse ...
Do liars really have different brains?
As biology has advanced, it’s become increasingly clear that the environment and yes, even choice, have a remarkable impact on ...
The epigenome of newborns and centenarians is different
What happens in our cells after one hundred years? What is the difference at the molecular level between a newborn ...
Genetic screening of unborn babies ‘may be inaccurate’, says genetic watchdog Council for Responsible Genetics
New tests for genetic screening of unborn babies will not be 100 per cent accurate and may scare parents into ...
Patients nix genetic tests due to cost, says study
Pennsylvania researchers have discovered that a sizable percentage of patients potentially at risk for cancer would turn down testing to ...
Stem cells used to repair damaged eyes in world-first Aussie trial
A medical breakthrough by Australian scientists has shown how sheets of stem cells grown on contact lenses can repair damaged ...
Gene therapy paves way for new cancer treatment
Gene therapy has been proven effective in inhibiting breast tumor growth in mice, marking a new pathway for cancer treatment, ...
