Daily Human Digest
Why did most mammals stop laying eggs?
About a decade ago, Vincent Lynch emailed Frank Grutzner to ask for a tissue sample from a pregnant platypus. He ...
What does genome testing mean for questions of Native American ancestry?
The genetic sequencing company 23andMe recently tapped into its vast bank of data to release a study on genetic origins, ...
Hair loss? Stem cells offer promising cure
It's been theorised for years, but now human stem cells have resulted in hair growth for the very first time ...
Will genome sequencing provide impediment to medicine?
Genomics is increasingly hailed by many as the turning point in modern medicine. Advances in technology now mean we’re able ...
Tool use among early humans paved way for selection of language-related genes
It’s widely understood that human genetics can influence culture, but increasingly, the idea that culture can also affect genetics is ...
Can actual ‘young blood’ rejuvenate tissue and reverse aging?
Two mice perch side by side, nibbling a food pellet. As one turns to the left, it becomes clear that ...
Brain gives convincing evidence for distinction between gender and sex
Ever wonder about the brain's white matter microstructure diffusivity? Don't know what the hell we're talking about? Well, start paying ...
Starship “Egg”: Sending unborn, frozen embryos across interstellar space
Hibernation is a wonderful option for a small crew of explorers, but for a distant planet with an Earth Like ...
Related disorders currently lumped together misleadingly as “autism”
There are so many different genetic forms of autism that using the singular term, autism, is misleading, researchers say. “We ...
How prevalent is the belief in creationism today?
Dr. Amy Unsworth is a research fellow at the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University ...
Newly discovered jawbone fuels mystery of ancient human evolution
A fisherman who pulled in his nets 25 kilometers off the coast of Taiwan got a surprising catch: the lower ...
Genetics proving instrumental in conservation of endangered species
Traditionally, conservation biologists have relied on field observation and sample and statistical analysis to help them understand the dynamics behind ...
Myriad Genetics ends feud over breast cancer screening patent
Myriad Genetics has essentially given up trying to stop other companies from offering tests for increased risk of breast cancer, ...
Alert for athletes and astronauts: Gene editing moving into clinics, results promising
An elite athlete, a mountain climber, an aspiring astronaut or test pilot—any of these might be a good candidate for ...
What’s the average IQ in developing countries, and what impacts it?
In a new paper at the (conveniently open) journal The Winnower (h/t @whyvert), building on his earlier work, geneticist Davide ...
FDA intensifies discussions on medical and ethical issues of mitochondrial replacement therapy
On January 27, 2015, a newly appointed committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will hold the first in a ...
Bipartisan support found for US personalized medicine initiative
President Obama will seek hundreds of millions of dollars for a new initiative to develop medical treatments tailored to genetic ...
Manipulating sex balance in mosquitoes may be key to fighting spread of disease
Dengue and chikungunya are both viruses spread by a species of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. Dengue sickens 50 million ...
Can China reverse its severe gender imbalance?
Chinese health authorities on Wednesday described the gender imbalance among newborns as "the most serious and prolonged" in the world, ...
Can cats’ genomes help fight human diseases?
Scientists have recruited a new ally in their battle to fight disease: domestic moggies. They believe the genetic profiles of ...
Why ‘unnatural’ life probably doesn’t deserve the reputation of Frankenstein
In the standard Frankenstein story, a scientist creates an unnatural monster that breaks out of the lab and runs amok ...
Molecules designed to ‘strangle’ bone cancer cells, furthering search for treatments
Chemists have designed a carbohydrate-based molecule that can surround and strangle bone cancer cells by self-assembling into a tangled web ...
New findings on fragile X syndrome may explain why some drugs prove ineffectual
Scientists have gained new insight into fragile X syndrome, the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability, by studying the ...
Are probiotics actually essential in a ‘normal’ GI tract?
The more I understand about normal GI flora, the more I suspect probiotics are the wrong answer to a wide ...
Privacy concerns raised by use of consumer genomics data in pharmaceutical research
The largest single repository of human genetic data in the world is not at any university, research institute, or pharmaceutical ...
Genghis Khan’s reputation as history’s most fertile father challenged by 9 mystery men
Millions of men bear the genetic legacy of Genghis Khan, the famously fertile Mongolian ruler who died in 1227. Researchers ...
Extending healthy life through gene manipulation: Sounds cool but it’s complicated
There has been a recent flurry of news and excitement about tracing the the genetics of athletic ability, effects of ...