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.
New drug shows we must overcome taboos about stem-cell research
I'll be the first to admit that stem-cell research, as we typically view it, troubles me in many ways. The ...
Placental stem cells with key therapeutic properties can be harvested
Scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) led by Vladimir Serikov, MD, PhD, and Frans Kuypers, PhD, report in ...
Decoding synthetic biology
Biology Professor Vincent Martin describes synthetic biology as applying principles of engineering to biology — understanding how different pieces work ...
Do genes really augur your future?
For some people, genes are key to predicting our future health. For others, genes as crystal balls are overhyped. Let's ...
Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases
"This is a dramatic example of how recent human history has profoundly shaped patterns of genetic variation," said Joshua Akey, ...
Researchers untangle complex genetic processes underlying breast cancer
Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have begun to unravel the complex processes that cause breast cancer, identifying a ...
Rare DNA mutations raise questions about theories of disease
Rare DNA mutations are so plentiful in the human genome that they make it difficult to precisely identify the genetic ...
The influence of genes on psychological well-being
Genes play a greater role in forming character traits - such as self-control, decision making or sociability - than was ...
Clues to restore human fingers and toes via animal hair, feathers
In their review, researchers have shed light on possible routes that unlock cellular regeneration in general, and the principles by ...
By accident, scientists discover how commonest DNA replication error is corrected
Scientists have discovered the enzyme in our cells which corrects the most frequently occurring mistake in DNA as cells divide ...
Men can rest easy – sex chromosomes are here to stay
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), looked at how genes on sex-linked ...
The biology of political narcissism: Donkey brains vs. Elephant grey matter
Anti-Republican science writer Chris Mooney stirred a hornets nest of controversy with the publication of his recent book, The Republican ...
Stem cells boost brain tumor treatments for some patients, study finds
Patients with brain cancer may face devastating side effects from chemotherapy, but a new study offers a possible solution: stem ...
Human genes transplanted into zebrafish: Helps identify genes related to autism, schizophrenia and obesity
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center transplanted a set of human genes into a zebrafish and then used it to ...
Big brained mice created in lab, could provide insight into how the human brain works and develops
Mice with a single missing gene have brains that are 35 percent larger than normal, a new study found. Though ...
Genes are overrated, genetics is underrated
A few days ago Nathaniel Comfort pointed me to this post, Genetic determinism round-up. If you are curious go read ...
‘Faithful judgments’ in bioethics
It's a bit of a cliché to point out that the new reproductive and genetic technologies (NRGTs) have a way ...
Melanoma sequencing reveals genetic effects of sun damage
Whole genome sequencing of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has confirmed the long-held belief that greater sun exposure ...
Abraham’s genetic threads- Jewish genes
From looking at these patterns of relatedness the authors infer that despite the genetic variation in the modern Jewry, most ...
European court decision has big implications for stem cell research
Brüstle v. Greenpeace, decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union, or CJEU, on October 18, 2011, changes ...
Human or superhuman?
Human genetic engineering has always been the stuff of science-fiction novels and blockbuster Hollywood films. Except that it is no ...
Study identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle injury
A study conducted by Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists identifies how skeletal muscle stem cells respond to muscle ...
Stem cell therapy to treat a chimp’s torn ACL may prove beneficial for humans
Veterinarians hope a new medical procedure can treat a 25-year-old chimpanzee with a torn ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, at ...
Methylating your muscle DNA
There’s more to your DNA than your DNA. We are now becoming aware of the epigenome. While DNA controls you, ...
Is choosing a sperm donor a roll of the genetic dice?
Sharine and Brian Kretchmar of Yukon, Okla., tried a number of medical treatments to conceive a second child. After a ...
Long-held genetic theory doesn’t quite make the grade, biologists find
New York University biologists have discovered new mechanisms that control how proteins are expressed in different regions of embryos, while ...
Study shows how mitochondrial genes are passed from mother to child
Research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University helps answer some long-standing questions ...
