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.
Researchers identify genetic mutation for deafness
The following is an excerpt. Australian researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which a rare genetic mutation causes premature deafness ...
Studies suggest genetic role in obesity
The following is an excerpt. Two new studies offer some solace to those who can't control their weight despite diet and exercise by providing more evidence ...
Scientists identify evolutionarily important human gene switches
The following is an excerpt. Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives to humans, and researchers continue to hunt for clues ...
Japan to relax ban on chimeric embryo experiments
The following is an edited excerpt. A scientist pioneering research toward generating human organs in pigs has cleared one hurdle ...
What researchers learn by investigating species’ genomes
The following is an editorial summary. When researchers sequence, map, and decode the genomes of other species, they often find ...
Researchers unravel core algae genes
The following is an excerpt. A international team of scientists led by California State University San Marcos has sequenced the ...
Potential genetic drivers behind male heart disease risk
The following is an edited excerpt. A team of researchers including clinicians and scientists have made an important step forward ...
Researchers find gene for underarm odor
The following is an excerpt. Ah, the sweet smell of science: An English study published Monday confirms a link between ...
Far-fetched ethical questions that are about to get real
Science fiction's favorite moral quandaries are suddenly pressing concerns ...
Japan reconsiders chimeric experiments
Japan is considering relaxing restrictions on the production of chimeric animals for sake of trying to grow viable human organs ...
The perils of neurocentrism
The issue with fMRI and other neuroscience techniques is "neurocentrism" -- "the view that human experience and behavior can be ...
Unexpectedly genetically jewish
The following is an editorial summary. Anthropologist Sandra Lee, a senior research scholar at the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, ...
Using genetics to breed better Wagyu beef
The following is an edited excerpt. The rate of genetic gain in Wagyu cattle is set to climb rapidly over ...
Takeaways from last week’s gene patenting decision
The following is an edited excerpt. The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a ruling that bans the patenting of naturally occurring ...
Aspirin slows DNA mutations in pre-cancerous conditions
The following is an excerpt. Researchers analyzed biopsy samples from 13 patients with a pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus, who ...
Gene research may help spot infant obesity risk
The following is an excerpt. Researchers have identified 45 genetic genetic variants in overweight newborns that are known to occur ...
The present and future of neurogenomics
The following is an edited excerpt. On April 2nd, 2013, President Obama proposed a forward-thinking, $100 million research program designed ...
Be prepared for the big genome leak
The number of genomes in research databases is growing -- how long will it be before that information gets out? ...
Supreme Court invalidates some gene patents but biotech has moved on
The following is an edited excerpt. The U.S. Supreme Court decision on June 13, 2013 to uphold patent protections for ...
Reanalysis of cancer genome data weeds out false positives
The following is an excerpt. Some call them the ‘fishy genes’: errors in DNA that seem to be associated with ...
Is genetic testing worth the money?
The following is an edited excerpt. Ten years ago, you could take a test to find genetic links for about ...
Using the human genome to ID viruses
The following is an edited excerpt. Sometimes a concept is simple but the tech behind it is not. This is ...
Faroe Islands aim to sequence genes of entire country
The Health Ministry of the Faroe Islands plans to sequence the genomes of every interested citizen ...
Poking holes in genetic privacy
The following is an excerpt. Not so long ago, people who provided DNA in the course of research studies were ...
Albino gorilla inbred, according to genome
The following is an excerpt. Snowflake was a male Western lowland gorilla. He was born in the wild and captured ...
After gene patent ruling, availability of gene tests could broaden
The following is an excerpt. Almost immediately after the Supreme Court ruled that human genes could not be patented, several laboratories announced ...
Synthetic blood may introduce a host of complications
The pending arrival of synthetic blood is likely to come with some serious socioeconomic and ethical issues ...
