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.
White House ‘gold standard’ science? With RFK, Jr. at his side, Trump revives vaccine-autism myth, recommends splitting childhood shots
President Trump signed an executive order on [August 10, 20206] laying out new recommendations for childhood vaccinations, and during his remarks, he mentioned ...
Reports on the positive health impact of weight-loss drugs have been consistent. These professors say, ‘not so fast’
Much of the evidence accumulated on weight loss drugs and mental health so far suggests they make us feel better ...
Disinformation that spreads during heat waves
Extreme weather typically brings a storm of disinformation with it; this [summer 2026] heat wave is no different. ... Spain's fake ...
The great data center backlash of 2026
For the past few decades, data centers have been quietly built all over the US, largely in areas with both ...
Genetic testing can save lives—but they can also complicate them
The expansion of genetic testing, though a success of modern medicine, nevertheless poses complex ethical questions for medical professionals. The ubiquity ...
Selling sickness: How RFK Jr. and wellness influence grifters turned “inflammation” into a racket
While some health advocates believe raising awareness about inflammation is important, the MAHA movement has twisted it, devaluing the struggles chronically ...
Tips on how scientists and health professionals can constructively engage with those with autism in an age of rampant misinformation
During a time of rapid growth in artificial intelligence and unprecedented access to information, misinformation can spread faster and farther ...
This is what the AI boom looks like
The milestones for artificial intelligence keep getting grander. In 2023, an A.I. system passed the bar exam. In 2025, the ...
Viewpoint: ‘ICUs were empty in NYC and across the US’: RFK, Jr. accuses pro-vaccine liberals of exaggerating the number of COVID deaths
Data: CDC. Image: Jeremy Faust/Inside Medicine. Blue=hospitals, dark blue=at home, green=nursing homes, purple=medical facility (outpatient or ER). Robert F. Kennedy ...
Viewpoint: Data center rejections hit 275 in 2026. Opponents are not the Luddites portrayed by the media
The legacy media has woken up to the backlash against data centers. Unfortunately, much of the analysis misses the mark ...
Viewpoint: Viral social media misinformation drives cancer patients toward ‘wellness grifters’ and dangerous, unregulated supplements
The intersection of chronic illness and digital misinformation has reached a critical flashpoint within the UK National Health Service (NHS), ...
Viewpoint: Fact-checking CNN interview with RFK, Jr. underscores the depth of his disinformation delusions
In attempting to rewrite the history of the US Covid-19 response, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on [August 2, ...
No liability for scientific due diligence: California Supreme Court rejects bizarre lawsuit faulting Gilead for fully evaluating HIV drug before release
The California Supreme Court on Monday reversed a lower court’s decision denying summary judgment to Gilead in a class action ...
Does Congress have the guts to successfully challenge Trump’s politicization of science funding?
The U.S. Senate is emerging as a potential bulwark against proposed rule changes that would give government bureaucrats more control ...
Viewpoint: Could the U.S. become dependent on China to develop critical new genetic and drug therapies?
Artificial intelligence is transforming bioengineering and biomedicine. ... The United States and China are locked in a race to develop ...
As measles vaccination rates collapse, scientists push for treatments long considered unnecessary
Up until recently, measles vaccination has been so effective that there’s been little medical or financial incentive to develop treatments for ...
Viewpoint: Trump’s relaxed controls on supplying China with microchips could undermine U.S. AI dominance
Americans often hear about China’s having surpassed the United States in the manufacturing of emerging technologies, including clean energy, electric ...
Viewpoint: Green energy supporters ‘fight back’ against conservative foundations backing fossil fuel industry
Outgoing Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson wants to see the renewable energy industry get more active in the halls of [the ...
With trust in RFK, Jr.’s CDC vaccine advice collapsing, physicians scramble to fill the information gap
Dr. John Snyder, in Amherst, Mass., has been practicing pediatrics for 30 years. Whenever he wanted to find the most ...
Wikipedia has assembled an informative list of fake news websites from across the ideological spectrum
Fake news sites deliberately publish hoaxes and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media. These sites are distinguished from news satire (which is usually intended to be humorous) ...
Viewpoint: ‘Misinformation’ about the effects of offshore wind turbines on marine life could derail offshore wind farm projects
Misinformation about the effects of offshore wind turbines on marine life could derail offshore wind farm projects in New York ...
How Kennedy and his family could pocket millions from Merck’s $50 million vaccine injury settlement that he oversaw
Kennedy for years has earned referral fees from Wisner Baum, a Los Angeles personal injury law firm that is currently ...
Controversy over WNBA star Sophie Cunningham’s comment opposing trans females in women’s sports reinvigorates the culture wars
Last week, Sophie Cunningham, Indiana’s controversial, outspoken 3-and-D spark plug, set the internet ablaze when she shared her opinion on ...
Climate scientists claim conservative activists are promoting ‘lies’ that Europe’s summer heatwaves are far from unusual
From debunking claims that cold winters do not act as proof that global warming is fake to allegations that the ...
AI-generated physicians promoting bogus cures and worthless supplements surge on social media
Misleading health claims online pose a “huge danger to public safety”, experts have warned, after research has shown that AI-generated ...
Fear, science, and the law: If talc powder is unlikely to cause cancer and J&J was winning in court, why did it pay more than $5.5 billion to settle?
It is one of the strangest corporate stories in recent history. Johnson & Johnson won most of the major talc ...
After muzzling RFK, Jr. over autism-vaccine conspiracy theories, Trump defies aides to push scares again
Donald Trump is pushing the longtime vaccine opponent and current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be more aggressive ...
