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.
Sequencing the DNA in bird’s guts to see what draws them to airports
Usually they leave no more than blood smears; sometimes, busted engines and pulpy, feathery messes. Bird strikes, which occur when ...
Measuring genetic distance is harder than you’d think
You've probably heard or read that most genetic variation is within, not between races. This assertion has led, in my ...
Without accurate genome sequencing, personalized medicine is a goner
It's hard to correctly read every one of the six-billion base pairs in a human genome. But without precision sequencing, ...
Horshoe crabs bleed for biomedicine
The bright blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a biomedical treasure, but harvesting the blood of these unique creatures seems ...
Slate slashes New York Times and Center for Genetics and Society for faux ‘designer baby’ scare tactics
The Center for Genetics and Society created a splash in the NYT this week with its all-too-familiar attack on mitochondrial ...
Geneticists unraveling why autism strikes boys more than girls
It has long been clear that autism strikes boys more often than girls. But when girls do get the condition, ...
Genetic manipulation is a slippery–so get over it
This week, the Food and Drug Administration debated a new IVF technique that could allow women with mitochondrial disease to ...
Can a genetic model predict next year’s flu strain?
The seasonal flu has met its enemy, and it’s calculus. A theoretical physicist and computational biologist analyzed the genetic code ...
50,000 generation experiment proves ‘adaptive evolution’ is relentless
In 1988, when evolutionary biologist Richard Lenski was an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, he started a ...
Does cilantro taste like detergent to you? Food preferences are hard-wired
Ever wonder why some people think cilantro tastes like detergent while others scatter it over everything? Or why brussels sprouts ...
Secrets of a cold–It helps explain why we have skin and bones
Next time you have a cold, rather than cursing, maybe you should thank the virus for making your skin. Genes ...
Whole genome sequencing is here to stay. What’s that mean for genetic privacy?
It cost billions of dollars and took more than a decade to sequence the first human genome. That was more ...
Ovary removal reduces death risk by 77% in women with BRCA mutations
A young, cancer-free Toronto woman says her decision to have both ovaries and both breasts removed was daunting, but not ...
Richard III DNA test sparks controversy
King Richard III has been dead for more than 500 years, but his bones continue to ignite fresh controversy. The ...
When tinkering with our DNA, researchers should take it slow
The manipulation of human genes could lead to profound advances in our ability to cure or prevent terrible diseases. But ...
DNA blood test can detect prenatal problems
A large new study led by Boston researchers shows that a simple blood test is superior to standard screening methods ...
Children of older fathers have higher risk of mental illness
For so long, mothers – particularly older moms — bore the brunt of responsibility for genetic disorders in their children ...
Can farmers reduce toxic agricultural chemicals by tricking pests with pheromone-producing biotech plants?
Pesticides are necessary evil in farming, and are likely to remain so. But what if we could replace some of ...
US grants a patent for fradulent stem cell creation method
The 2004 results of Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk's stem cell creation method were fake, but the U.S. Patent office granted ...
Video: When it comes to sports success, genes matter most
David Epstein, author of "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance" discusses the ways that human biological ...
A forensic approach to canine waste management
If you want to get an idea of how advanced a technology has become, you could look at the most ...
IVF is better, but not yet good enough
On the occasion of the CDC’s yearly release of IVF clinic success rates, I remind myself and my old colleagues ...
Evolutionary civil war of sperm production
"I thought, 'Oh my god, I have mixed all the samples, I have made a massive mistake here'. And I ...
Tibetan dogs evolved to breathe thin mountain air
See Spot run. See Lassie save Timmy from a well. See Tibetan Mastiffs climb 4,500 meters above sea level on ...
Sequencing genes IDs rare illnesses and may, eventually, help with other health issues
Born prematurely, Lillian Yuska struggled to feed, and she suffered from chronic gastrointestinal problems and repeated infections. After years of ...
DNA collection solve crimes, but damages privacy
In this week’s episode of “TechKnow,” we highlight the latest advances in forensic technology that are helping law enforcement agencies ...
Scientists find skin-to-liver cell transformation shortcut
Scientists have differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hepatocytes in a dish, but faced challenges using these cells ...
