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 do many women develop postnatal depression? Brain scans can now help us understand
Pregnancy brain really does exist, according to one of the first detailed maps of human-brain changes before, during and after ...
Can chatbots be tailored to fight back against conspiracy theories?
[R]esearchers believe they’ve uncovered a new tool for combating false conspiracy theories: AI chatbots. Researchers from MIT Sloan and Cornell ...
The threat of biological conflict is rising. Are we prepared?
The coronavirus, [Roger Brent (professor of basic sciences), T. Greg McKelvey Jr. (adviser to the Rand think tank) and Jason ...
Advanced voice mode: Latest AI innovation makes it more human-like but with cultural ramifications
If you’re a paid subscriber to ChatGPT, you may have noticed the artificial intelligence (AI) large language model has recently ...
Can’t get your child to eat their vegetables? Maybe it’s genetic
Parents are not to blame for "fussy eating", researchers say, as a large study suggests fussy eating tendencies are mostly ...
Can household products induce early puberty? Study raises questions
Girls exposed to certain chemicals that are common ingredients in household products may be starting puberty comparatively early, a new ...
Alexa, read my mind: Brain implant in development for paralyzed test patients can surf the internet and manage emails
Synchron is one of several companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, aiming to commercialize [brain-computer interface, or BCI's]. Researchers have been studying ...
Louisiana’s classification of abortion pills as ‘controlled dangerous substances’ signals further anti-abortion restrictions likely in other conservative states
Staff in some Louisiana hospitals are doing timed drills, sprinting from patient rooms and through halls to the locked medicine ...
Sustainable mining: How plants can be deployed as ‘phytominers’ to suck up valuable minerals
Nickel may not grow on trees—but there’s a chance it could someday be mined using plants. Many plant species naturally ...
‘It can happen in just a few generations’: These animals are evolving fastest
Evolution occurs over millennia, but it can also happen in just a few generations. ... "I don't know if any particular ...
‘Purging corrupt influences’: Anti-vax conspiracist RFK, Jr. claims Trump has designated him to select leaders of FDA, NIH and CDC
[Robert F Kennedy Jr.], who abandoned his independent bid for the presidency to join Trump’s transition team in late August, alongside ...
First-ever national surveillance system finds 5.4 million Medicare recipients have Alzheimer’s
More than 5.4 million Medicare recipients likely have Alzheimer's or another type of dementia, according to researchers developing a first-ever national surveillance system ...
In the fight against opioid addiction, a newly developed fentanyl vaccine may be the latest weapon. Could it make a difference?
A research team led by the University of Houston has developed a vaccine targeting the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl that ...
What are apes trying to communicate when they use gestures. Is there an evolutionary link to humans?
Apes, [...] do not inherit specific gestures, but they do inherit the sense that they can use gestures to communicate ...
COVID vaccine hesitancy: With fewer parents willing to have their children vaccinated, pediatricians are throwing away trays of expired pandemic vaccines
When pediatrician Eric Ball opened a refrigerator full of childhood vaccines, all the expected shots were there — DTaP, polio, ...
‘Men could become genetic mothers, women could be fathers’: The next technology after IVF could change the way we view parenthood gender
Consider in vitro gametogenesis, or I.V.G., a technology under development that would allow the creation of eggs or sperm from ...
A quarter of the world’s population eats insects almost daily. What would it take for you to join in the feast?
Some two billion people, about a quarter of the world’s population, already eat insects as part of their everyday diet, ...
Viewpoint — RFK, Jr. and Moms Across America’s Zen Honeycutt: How the loony left became conspiracy-mongering Trumpers
Even though Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his presidential bid in August, he appears to be as busy as ever ...
Post Dobbs, conservative states’ abortion restrictions are forcing OBGYN doctors to go elsewhere for required training
[M]any residents across the country ... have gone out of state for training in abortion since Dobbs. Most of them ...
Not sleeping well? Blame your DNA
Sleep disorders ... have a significant genetic component. For instance, some people are genetically more likely to develop insomnia than ...
Cloud seeding nanomaterials: Desert countries are trying to wring rain out of wisps of clouds. How are they doing?
In a gold-trimmed command center on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, scientists are seeking to wring moisture from desert skies ...
A viral social media meme claims that Moderna has confirmed its mRNA COVID vaccine causes cancer. No, and here’s a fact check
Claim: Moderna confirms mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer! People are sharing an article (archive) by The Expose (formerly The Daily ...
Will eye and face transplants become more common? First recipient is making a strong recovery
In June of 2021 Aaron James experienced a terrible accident while working as an electrical lineman. The 46-year-old military veteran ...
What are the key factors to look out for when monitoring cognitive decline? Here’s 4
Knowing how key cognitive functions could change in people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease can make a significant difference to patients and ...
Love your Apple watch? Wearable activity trackers show promise in detecting early signals of COVID, strokes and other diseases
Fitbit, Apple Watch or Oura ring, wearable technology is in high demand among the health conscious. But beyond measuring heart rates and blood ...
Human’s ability to digest carbs evolved as we went from hunter-gatherers to farmers
Scientists have long suspected that humans’ ability to digest starch may have increased after our ancestors transitioned from a hunter-gatherer ...
Mail order and foreign buyers beware: Criminal organizations are circulating potentially lethal fake Ozempic
In December [2023], Drew, a 36-year-old man from San Antonio, Texas, drove more than 250 miles to Mexico to buy ...
