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.
The Genetic Code is not a synonym for the Bible Code
The following is an edited excerpt. Oh, boy. The Intelligent Design creationists are all excited about a new paper that ...
Gene therapy could prevent arthritis
The following is an edited excerpt. Most people who live to old age will suffer from arthritis. The condition’s prevalence ...
Three-parent monkeys may lead to improved stem cell therapy
The world’s first chimeric monkeys were created in a laboratory last year, and they offer surprising new insights into embryonic ...
Biological logic gate built by splitting viral gene
The following is an edited excerpt. In recent years, researchers in the messy world of biology have been able to ...
The hunt for a genetic cause of schizophrenia
The following is an edited excerpt. Schizophrenia is thought to have a substantial genetic background which is also, to some ...
23andMe IDs multiple genetic factors implicated in nearsightedness
The following is an excerpt. In the largest ever genome-wide association study on myopia, 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, ...
Those idiot savant Neandertals
The following is an edited excerpt. Another Neandertal paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Basically [it says that] the morphology ...
The human family tree
The following is an excerpt. The human family tree is complicated and only getting more complex as researchers like Harvard ...
Gene therapy studies show potential for HIV control without drugs
The following is an excerpt. Gene therapy approaches that involve the genetic modification of human haematopoietic stem cells have the ...
Form and function: The debate over junk DNA
The following is an edited excerpt. Science is at the mercy of its language. One enduring debate has been resurrected ...
Are breast milk stem cells the real deal for medicine?
The following is an excerpt. Proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins are all on the menu for a breastfed baby. Now it ...
Nanotechnology researchers use DNA for nano-encrypted Morse code
The following is an excerpt. (Nanowerk News) Hidden in a tiny tile of interwoven DNA is a message. The message ...
Meritocracy: How social Darwinism made modern China
What role does DNA play in nation building? Can hundreds of years of natural selection provide the genetic basis for ...
DNA shows surprising flame-retardant properties
The following is an edited excerpt. Normally, cotton fabrics are highly flammable. But when scientists tried to set fire to cotton coated ...
Epigenetic mechanism may explain effects of mom’s nutrition on her children’s health
The following is an edited excerpt. Pioneering studies by U. S. Department of Agriculture-funded research molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland ...
Get ready for the risks of genetic testing
The following is an edited excerpt. Would you want to know your future if science could tell it to you? ...
DNA tool kit goes live online
The following is an edited excerpt. The latest shopping website is open for business, offering unusual wares: DNA tools to ...
Is economic development tied to genetic diversity?
The following is an edited excerpt. Why countries are at different stages of economic development has long intrigued social scientists ...
New gene testing framework ignores privacy concerns
[G]ene testing has the potential to transform the way we manage health. The Department of Health and Ageing’s soon-to-be-released framework ...
Length of DNA strand could indicate life span
The following is an excerpt. According to a team of geneticists, the longer a person's telomeres (the protective ends of chromosomes) ...
Genetic link between fat and bone mass
The following is an excerpt. When it comes to body shape, diet and exercise can only take us so far ...
Ancestry tests are not to be trusted
The following is an excerpt. Commercial DNA tests claiming to reveal people's ancestors are little better than 'genetic astrology', according to scientists. From ...
Tiny piece of RNA regulates early development
The following is an excerpt. New research shows that a tiny piece of RNA has an essential role in ensuring ...
The genetics of mental illness and the allure of gene-ism
The current reality of mental illness is one of blurred boundaries; new genetic results showing coming ground among several disorders ...
How type 2 diabetes survived evolution
The following is an edited excerpt. Type 2 diabetes is a major public health crisis in the United States and ...
If your dog is about to die, why not clone it?
The following is an edited excerpt. Insung Hwang's business, according to his website, is "healing broken hearts". Specifically those of ...
We are all “related” to Romans, Vikings, Egyptians and Attila the Hun
The following is an edited excerpt. Genetics researchers say that commercial DNA tests cannot provide accurate stories about personal ancestry ...
