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.
Steven Pinker’s ‘Get out of the way’ approach ignores need for bioethics in science
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Do you suppose Steven ...
Paleo diet update: Carbs in tubers key to humans’ evolutionary boon
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Scientists have long recognized ...
Vision gene therapy helps blind mice see again
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. When the owl swooped, ...
White skin evolved only recently, in several distinct human populations
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. If you read Nell ...
Do we have an intrinsic, evolutionary disgust of cockroaches?
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Cockroaches have been smeared ...
Human organ transplants from GM pigs may soon be a reality
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. With the financial aid ...
Social, economic inequality plays significant role in determining health outcome
Last year, The Detroit News covered a disturbing story of health inequity. For children, Detroit is the deadliest city in ...
Should genetic counselors dissuade termination of pregnancies with Down syndrome risk?
Several people have sent me a perspective piece by bioethicist Art Caplan in PLOS Biology, “Chloe’s Law: A Powerful Legislative Movement ...
Breast cancer genetic tests, beyond BRCA, can help personalize treatment plan
When the results of a test wouldn’t change how doctors manage a patient’s care, most say it’s not worth doing ...
Paleontologists look to history to predict how climate change will affect biodiversity
During the dawn of the “Age of Mammals”, around 56 million years ago, the global temperature rapidly stabbed upwards. In ...
New Exploitation documentary tackles dangers, unknowns of egg donation procedures
Eggsploitation: Maggie’s Story is the fourth in a series of original documentaries about assisted reproduction directed by Jennifer Lahl, president and ...
Mass extinctions speed up evolution, according to robots
A computer science team at The University of Texas at Austin has discovered that virtual mass extinctions push robots to ...
Response to Steven Pinker: Society can’t afford for bioethicists to ‘get out of the way’ of science
"Get out of the way." So said the European colonists as they pushed indigenous Africans, Americans, Aborigines, and Maoris off ...
Genome databases, immunotherapy combination may be key in fighting cancer
Immunotherapy is being hailed as the future of cancer treatment. Harnessing the body’s own immune system to attack and kill ...
Why do intelligent people live longer? It’s in your DNA
Smarter people tend to live longer than those with less luck in the intelligence department. Now, a new study hints ...
Meet blebb: To treat addiction, would you agree to have your memory erased?
Scientists have found a way to keep memories made while using meth from becoming permanent, erasing the lure of drugs ...
Octopus genome reveals surprising traits of sophisticated, alien-like earthling
With its eight prehensile arms lined with suckers, camera-like eyes, elaborate repertoire of camouflage tricks and spooky intelligence, the octopus ...
Fetal stem cells may soon see breakthrough in Parkinson’s research
The University of Nebraska Medical Center has been among the leading recipients of federal grants for research projects that involve ...
Should all children of egg and sperm donations have right to know their origin?
Although she has two half-sisters from her dad’s previous marriage, there was nothing in Jess Pearce’s childhood to make her ...
Dementia more common as population ages, but is it an epidemic?
Another day, another alarming brain-related story hits the news: Dementia is striking victims earlier and death rates are soaring Modern ...
Can microbes be a cause, and cure, for Alzheimer’s?
One great frustration of longer-living humans is that millions of us will one day lose our minds. Our essence will whither ...
Bill Gates, Google lend support to development of CRISPR-based clinical treatments
Bill Gates and Google are among some of the high-profile backers of a genome editing company that's raised $120 million ...
Genetics may open door to new treatments of mental disorders
Mental disorders are notoriously hard to treat. We now know that many psychological diseases are rooted in our DNA. That's ...
New IVF genetic screening technique gives newborns disease-free birth
Melbourne IVF was the first clinic in the state to introduce karyomapping, a test that allows couples to screen the ...
Legionnaires bacteria discovered in more NYC buildings as death toll rises
Twelve people have died from Legionnaires' disease amid the largest outbreak the city has experienced in its history, Mayor de Blasio ...
Scientists, fearing safety, silent as Planned Parenthood attacked for sale of fetal issue
In recent weeks, it’s been nearly impossible not to hear people — presidential candidates, attorneys general, lawmakers, pundits, outraged relatives ...
Amygdala not actually brain’s ‘fear center’
I’ve been studying the amygdala for more than 30 years. When I started this work, research on this brain region was ...
