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.
Before sperm meets egg
In high school biology, we all learned that development of a new organism is a complex endeavor ...
Genetics of congenital heart defects in Down syndrome
In Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal abnormality in humans, a third copy of all or part of chromosome 21 is ...
How to sell a toxic pesticide the smart way–call it organic
Puzzled about how organic pesticides and synthetic ones have such a different perception among Whole Foods shoppers? Here is an ...
US Ebola hysteria and money pit highlight lack of resources to confront diseases that kill far more people
The Ebola hysteria underscores how frenzy rather than need drives government responses and resources. Listeria is a disease that's not ...
Addiction can be measured by epigenetics
Both alcohol and cocaine dependence are regulated by epigenetic changes in the brain that begin with abuse. Matched with the ...
Women carry fetal DNA long after children’s birth
Women and their offspring exchange small amounts of DNA during pregnancy. Those fetal DNA signatures can last a lifetime in ...
An end to fat shaming? The 50 year DNA mystery of metabolic dysfunction may soon be solved
Eat all of the pizza you want? Unlikely, but some people do have a biological disadvantage when it comes to ...
Closer examination of risk factors for Latinos underscores cultural diversity
Investigations into the genetics of disease in Latino populations are yielding interesting patterns of risk and protection from disease. The ...
Mutagenesis: One way Europeans wish it was 1936 again
Want to use ionizing radiation and mutagenic chemicals to create herbicide-resistant crops without the messy GMO protests? Mutagenesis is the ...
Natural Resources Defense Council sues EPA to block rollout of Dow Enlist Duo GMO system
The NRDC filed what is expected to be the first of numerous suits challenging the EPA's approval of Enlist Duo, ...
Sperm mislabeling causes consternation for all-white family with mixed race child
Sperm is a product, but not a well-regulated one. After receiving donor sperm from an African American donor, a Caucasian ...
Why random walks in evolution lead to the same place–and why biotechnology opponents should take note
A recent study found that evolution is not as random and chaotic as critics of biology like to contend. In ...
Beyond universal donors, some people are programed with no blood type at all
People genetically coded with the RH-null blood type have a blood type more rare than extremely rare disease. Their numbers ...
Ebola infographic: Is this outbreak poised for pandemic?
A second Texas healthcare worker tests positive for the virus amid predictions that as many as 10,000 people a day ...
If not for the NIH, we might have an Ebola vaccine
Because it is election season, government-funded academia and science media have been claiming that politics can be blamed for the ...
CDC faced a nearly impossible balancing act with Ebola, and failed
In an attempt to claim public concerns from turning into mass hysteria, the CDC made some major blunders--some medical and ...
Is organic agriculture leading to an increase in antibiotic resistance?
Conventional agriculture is under attack by organic and anti-GMO activists for contributing to antibiotic resistance as the result of animals ...
Biology of eye color illuminates progress in combating eye disease
A commonly held belief among Europeans is that all babies are born with blue eyes, which can then change colour ...
Penises grown from stem cells may soon be used for transplants
Penises grown in laboratories could soon be tested on men by scientists developing technology to help people with congenital abnormalities, ...
Can knowledge of epigenetics help us improve our health?
In September 2014, one of us (MJK) spoke on the topic of epigenetics at the Annual Meeting of the Association for State and Territorial ...
Amish and other ‘insular populations’ template for understanding evolution of diseases
Weeks after his birth in 2001, Benjamin Glick was stricken with a mysterious illness. He would vomit and pass out. He wouldn't ...
Media overhypes stem cell breakthrough for Type 1 diabetes
As the Harvard Stem Cell Institute announced it's cured diabetes in mice with stem cells reprogrammed to produce insulin, the ...
Peer review on controversial science issues letting all of us down
There have been a slew of reports raising questions about the reproducibility of peer reviewed studies. But there is another ...
Can’t start the day without a cup of Joe? Zest for coffee linked to genes
The number of cups of coffee you have in a day is informed by your genetics as a combination of ...
“Bubble boy” breakthrough cure shows how some viruses can save lives
Beneath all the bad news about viruses this week lies a good virus: the one that underlies gene therapy for ...
Will glowing plants replace electrical lights in the future?
When it gets dark, we use streetlights to light our way, but what if we could replace them with a ...
Re-enacting history of evolution in the laboratory
In his fourth-floor lab at Harvard University, Michael Desai has created hundreds of identical worlds in order to watch evolution ...
