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.
Genetics helps determine where the H7N9 bird flu came from
The following is an excerpt. The new H7N9 bird flu strain continues to spread across China. Currently, more than 120 ...
New stem cell book highlights the patient perspective
The following is an excerpt. The Healing Cell, just out from Hachette Press, deals with promising stem cell therapies from the ...
Gene therapy combats heart failure, provides renewed hope for genetic medicine
A new treatment offers hope for patients suffering heart failure, and also for scientists who would like to see gene ...
On patenting human genes, the evidence favors Myriad
The following is an excerpt. The conventional shorthand for the Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad, Inc.case, argued before the Supreme ...
Genetic fossils betray hepatitis B’s ancient roots
The following is an excerpt. A virus that causes liver diseases in people may have infected birds that shared the ...
Young girl receives lifesaving windpipe transplant made from her stem cells
The following is an excerpt. Hannah Warren was born without a trachea but now has one made from plastic fibers ...
Synthetic biology research community grows significantly
The following is an excerpt. The number of private and public entities conducting research in synthetic biology worldwide grew significantly ...
Genetic fingerprints track drug-resistant malaria parasites
The following is an excerpt. New artemisinin-resistant strains of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum are spreading rapidly in Cambodia, an international group ...
Genetic mutation shared by Newfoundland, German, Danish families
The following is an excerpt. Researchers studying a genetic mutation, which causes sudden cardiac death, may have discovered a genetic ...
Why predicting the phenotypic effect of mutations is hard
The following is an excerpt. By now, we’re probably all familiar with Niels Bohr’s famous quote that “prediction is very ...
Why predicting the phenotypic effect of mutations is hard
The following is an excerpt. By now, we’re probably all familiar with Niels Bohr’s famous quote that “prediction is very ...
Harvard professor re-identifies anonymous volunteers in DNA study
The following is an excerpt. From the onset, the Personal Genome Project, set up by Harvard Medical School Professor of ...
Gene therapy: Engineered ‘heart-healing virus’ trial starts
The following is an excerpt. Patients in the UK have been enrolled into a trial to see if an engineered ...
Synthetic biologist explores the meaning of making life
The following is an excerpt. Christina Agapakis is a rising star among the new generation of biology researchers. Trained in ...
Can synthetic biology keep your food safe?
The following is an excerpt. On a hot summer day, nothing spells refreshment quite like a slice of juicy, orange ...
Identification of gene variants affecting fertility offers new treatment possibility
The following is an excerpt. Identification of genetic variations in the genes coding for the hormone FSH may provide new ...
Do patents hinder research?
The following is an excerpt. It is an argument frequently made by businesses: Intellectual property protection is essential to spur ...
The red herring of human gene patents
The following is an excerpt. Just a few words and little thought separate yet another stronghold of the American economy ...
“World’s first GM babies born” — 12-year-old article continues to cause confusion
The following is an excerpt. An undated Daily Mail article that is actually over a decade old continues to spread misinformation about ...
The Human Genome Project: How it changed biology forever
The following is an excerpt. It was like God’s own jigsaw puzzle. Built up over evolutionary eons, it featured 46 ...
Young Engineer of the Year builds his own genetics lab (video)
The following is an excerpt. Fred Turner, Young Engineer of the Year 2013, describes how he built his own PCR machine ...
23andMe aims to close genetics literacy gap among Americans in celebration of DNA Day
The following is an excerpt. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new survey commissioned by 23andMe – the leading personal genetics company ...
Wary development NGOs should reconsider biotechnology
The world of science, technology and engineering might seem, for good reason, miles away from the day-to-day work of most ...
‘Master gene’ makes mouse brain look more human
In the cartoon series named after them, Pinky and the Brain, two laboratory mice genetically enhanced to increase their intelligence plot ...
What if they treated gene patents like nautical charts?
The following is an excerpt. A human gene is nothing more than a sequence of A’s, T’s, C’s and G’s ...
DNA double helix: discovery that led to 60 years of biological revolution
The following is an excerpt. The myth is that science proceeds in fits and starts, with eureka moments delivering revelation ...
The jumping gene: Friend or foe?
The following is an edited excerpt. In the 1940s, geneticist Barbara McClintock of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York wanted ...
