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.
Why aging often accelerates at 70
A groundbreaking theory of ageing that explains why people can suddenly become frail after reaching their 70s has raised the ...
Humans learn from artificial intelligence systems — and pass those skills on to others, shaping culture
A study, which was published on [May 30] by a group of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human ...
DNA embryo screening: Huge gap between science behind polygenic scoring and parental desires to pick the ‘perfect kid’
One challenge with leading killers like cancer and heart disease is that they’re usually polygenic: linked to many different genes ...
Elixirs of life: Search for what turns out to be crank treatments to extend our limited time on Earth takes desperate people to exotic destinations
While science has made some promising breakthroughs in studying the causes and implications of ageing, real solutions are some way ...
Genetic genie is out of the bottle: Distant relatives you don’t know likely have had their DNA mapped, so your lineage is circulating somewhere
It is far too late to completely protect your genetic privacy via personal abstention. A brief exploration into the mathematics ...
Viewpoint: How ‘racial rankings’ based on genetics pollute science and inspire racism
In the aftermath of the massacre in Buffalo, New York, at the hands of a white supremacist terrorist, scientists can ...
How scientist-athletes are pushing edge of human performance
Rachel Baxter uses many of the usual tools of athleticism when she gets ready for a pole vaulting competition: track ...
Proline and mental health: Link found between common protein and depression
Depression is a common mental health issue for many people around the world today. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates ...
African genes are not well represented in research databases. Here’s why that’s a problem
The Human Genome Project, which took 13 years to complete from 1990 to 2003 was the first successful global effort ...
COVID ad infinitum: Why the coronavirus could be part of our lives for a very long time
Experts knew from early on that, for almost everyone, infection with this coronavirus would be inevitable. As James Hamblin memorably ...
A transgender woman says she’s breastfeeding her daughter during the formula shortage. Is that possible?
As America's baby formula shortage continues to inspire scammers and politicians alike, parents have become desperate for solutions. Sometimes they get so creative ...
Deextinction: How feasible is scientists’ plan to bring back the Tasmanian tiger?
A team of genetic scientists led by biosciences professor Andrew Pask is attempting to make the concept of “de-extinction” a ...
CRISPR gene editing poised to ‘cure’ progeria and other diseases caused by ‘misspelled’ DNA
When popular YouTube star Adalia Rose died earlier this year, she looked like a diminutive, sickly woman in her 80s ...
Viewpoint: How science and genetic research are manipulated to bolster white supremacy claims
The white supremacist who drove 200 miles to a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket and opened fire, killing 10 people, had posted ...
Here’s what we still don’t understand about consciousness
The mind-body problem addresses one of the fundamental questions of science and humanity. How is consciousness related to the body ...
Gene drive technology to reduce threat of disease-carrying mosquitoes works in trials — but larger rollout hinges on regulators and anti-biotechnology activists
The mosquitoes are coming—and then, hopefully, they’re going. [Soon], British biotech company Oxitec plans to kick off a months-long experiment ...
Genetics plays outsized and underappreciated role in how COVID victims cope with virus after effects
A new paper looks at the genetic contribution to individual wellbeing during the pandemic, seeking to find support for the ...
COVID misinformation doctors make rounds on lucrative rightwing speech circuit
Two of the most visible right-wing, conservative political movements in the U.S. right now -- "Defeat the Mandates" and the ...
Humans sleep a lot more than other primates. Here’s an evolutionary explanation why
On dry nights, the San hunter-gatherers of Namibia often sleep under the stars. They have no electric lights or new ...
Vagal hype: What’s behind the ‘natural health’ community’s focus on healing effects of ‘resetting’ vagus nerve?
The vagus nerve is a darling of the all-natural healing crowd. Its complex arborescence makes it the ideal nerve on ...
Why did humans evolve to show signs of stress — such as fidgeting or nail biting? Here’s one theory
Showing signs of stress could make us more likable and prompt others to act more positively towards us, according to ...
We know Homo sapiens were not the first humans. Who were?
How far back in time must we go for our ancestors to not be human and be, instead, an ape ...
Synthetic biology is poised to revolutionize how we treat cancer and heritable diseases
With the advent of synthetic biology, each element of the animal/plant/human/ecosystem interface can look to its horizon for important changes, ...
Obesity, stress and chemicals: Do these factors explain why girls are reaching puberty at increasingly younger ages?
Although it is difficult to tease apart cause and effect, earlier puberty may have harmful impacts, especially for girls. Girls ...
Fearful of a heart attack? Experimental gene editing targets cholesterol-causing genes to clear arteries
Even after decades of drug breakthroughs aimed at preventing heart attacks, they remain the world’s leading cause of death.... Verve ...
These 8 risk factors can cause Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Here’s how you can minimize them
Eight modifiable risk factors were linked to more than one in three cases of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia in ...
Are 9000 ‘forever chemicals’ used in stain-resistant fabrics, cosmetics and cookware harmful — as activists claim? Evidence is ambiguous
One of the questions I’ve been asked recently with increasing frequency is how to avoid exposure to those “forever chemicals” ...
