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.
Preserving genetic privacy: A DNA test for the Constitution
The following is an excerpt. Science has broken the code of human composition and can read the genetic “fingerprint” unique to ...
Can they patent your genes?
The following is an edited excerpt. Can genes be patented? This spring, the Supreme Court will hear a case that ...
New blood test finds elusive fetal gene problem
The following is an excerpt. A new non-invasive blood test for pregnant women could make it easier to catch abnormalities ...
Detecting the ‘genetic’ characteristics of malware
The battle between malicious software and computer anti-virus programs is continuous and ever-evolving. But thinking of malware in a biological ...
To claim someone has ‘Viking ancestors’ is no better than astrology
Exaggerated claims from genetic ancestry testing companies undermine serious research into human genetic history ...
Al Gore: Human biotech is a “driver of global change”
The following is an edited excerpt. Al Gore has recently released The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. One of the ...
A look inside China’s genome factory
The following is an excerpt. Sequencing a complete human genome may soon cost less than an iPhone. Will China’s BGI-Shenzhen decode yours? BGI-Shenzhen, once known as ...
Why collecting DNA from criminals won’t help solve crimes
The following is an excerpt. [When it comes to solving crime] bigger is better. Add arrestee profiles to the database ...
The genetics of healthy living
The following is an edited excerpt. Have you ever noticed that some people struggle to lose weight while others seem ...
UK debate: Should private firms have access to genetic data?
The following is an excerpt. Private firms will soon be able to buy people's medical and genetic data without their ...
The brain is not computable
At this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a top neuroscientist dismissed the idea of ...
Race as biology in The New York Times
The following is an excerpt. Writing in The New York Times, science journalist Nicholas Wade reports on the recent discovery that ...
Do humans have the genetic ability to become mutant superheroes?
The following is an edited excerpt. [Except for a] few specific cases of extreme environmental pressures, the current form of ...
Gene therapy shows early promise for heart failure
The following is an excerpt. THURSDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to treating heart failure, the ultimate hope ...
Misguided nostalgia for our paleo past
The following is an edited excerpt. It's hard to escape the recurring conviction that somewhere, somehow, things have gone wrong ...
Testing everyone for everything: The problems with genetic screening
The following is an edited excerpt. New techniques of DNA sequencing make it possible to test a single sample to determine carrier ...
Nutrigenomics: There is no universal healthy diet
The ubiquitous Food Pyramid (and newcomer MyPlate) offer the same dietary recommendations for everyone above two years of age, including ...
Can culture protect genetics from misuse?
The following is an excerpt. In the past, good science has been used for unethical purposes, like eugenics. The concept ...
Patenting genes could jeopardize future discoveries
The following is an excerpt. Already about 4,000 of the 22, 000 human genes have U.S. patents, but Myriad Genetics ...
Bigfoot DNA under the microscope; Controversy brews
The following is an edited excerpt. The question of if Bigfoot exists has graduated from mysterious footprints and fuzzy images ...
New guidelines on testing kids’ DNA
When and how should parents have their children genetically tested? Ricki Lewis gives a Cliff’s Notes version of the new ...
DNA could bring justice at last
The following is an excerpt. A year-old effort in Ohio to perform DNA testing on thousands of neglected evidence kits ...
Telomeres predict susceptibility to the common cold
The following is an edited excerpt. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have identified a biological marker in the immune system ...
DNA number-crunchers use homegrown software
The following is an edited excerpt. Today, multiple startups — including DNAnexus and Spiral Genetics — are taking the genomics ...
Designing life: The ethics of engineering babies
The following is an excerpt. The increasing power and accessibility of genetic technology may one day give parents the option of modifying ...
‘Language gene’ more active in young girls
The following is an excerpt. Despite recent progress toward sexual equality, it's still a man's world in many ways. But ...
Predicting evolution in bacteria
The following is an excerpt. A new study found that similar, or even identical, mutations can occur during diversification in ...
