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.
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 ...
Stem cell-based bioartificial tissues and organs
The following is an excerpt. Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has made his name by successfully transplanting bioengineered stem cell-based trachea, composed ...
Vanessa Williams ancestry traced through mail-order DNA test
The following is an excerpt. The project that first sequenced a human genome in 2000 took 15 years and cost ...
DNA test for rare disorders becomes more routine
The following is an excerpt. A new kind of testing is proving particularly helpful in diagnosing mysterious neurological illnesses in ...
The bank where doctors can stash your genome
The following is an excerpt. Genomic sequencing might be more common in medicine if doctors had a simple way to ...
DNA tests reveal horse meat in some Nestle products
The following is an excerpt. Nestle, the world's biggest food company, has removed beef pasta meals from sale in Italy and ...
Searching for genius in the genes
Scientists have been able to isolate some genes connected to lower IQ, but the genes which help create high intelligence ...
FDA approves bionic eye for adults with rare genetic disease
The following is an excerpt. For most of us, light-sensitive cells that line our retinas convert light rays into electrical ...
Combat gene may be indicator of future PTSD
The following is an excerpt. Study findings released on Wednesday by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) suggest that a previously described ...
Anthropologist: An understanding of culture would lead to less genetic blame
The following is an excerpt. Why is the world so full of "morons" and "degenerates" and what, if anything, can ...
Napoleon Chagnon on the DNA of violence: Do killers have more kids?
In a review of controversial anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon's memoir "Noble Savages", Charles Mann explores the uncomfortable biological realities of human ...
Humans and chimps use genetic variation to combat pathogens
The following is an excerpt. A new genome-wide analysis, led by the University of Chicago Medical Center, searched for evidence of long-lived ...
Gene therapy cures diabetic dogs
The following is an excerpt. Five diabetic beagles no longer needed insulin injections after being given two extra genes, with ...
Stem cells in Texas: Cowboy culture
The following is an excerpt. By offering unproven therapies, a Texas biotechnology firm has sparked a bitter debate about how ...
Single mutation produced East Asian’s thick hair
The following is an excerpt. An animal model of recent human evolution found that a single mutation produced several traits ...
Free kits help kids see their DNA
The following is an excerpt. [I]magine introducing genetic concepts to 10-year-old children. It is a challenge! In that spirit, Bio-Rad ...
Australia: Myriad Genetics wins bid to patent human genes
The following is an excerpt. Myriad Genetics Inc., owner of patents for genes linked to cancer risks, won an Australian ...
Gene therapy cures diabetic dogs
The following is an excerpt. Five diabetic beagles no longer needed insulin injections after being given two extra genes, with ...
What will the $1000 genome buy?
The following is an excerpt. The concept of a $1000 genome was first articulated at the start of the millennium ...
Israel admits targeting Ethiopian Jews for compulsory contraception
The following is an excerpt. After five years of denials, Israeli government officials have admitted to targeting Ethiopian Jewish immigrant ...
Can genes determine whether your kid aces the SATs?
More than ever, a child’s academic future depends on standardized testing scores. The pressure to perform well can be intense, ...
Biotech companies lobby to limit competitive drugs
The following is an excerpt. Biological drugs are made from large molecules, and the processes, involving living cells, are more ...
Researchers highlight warning signs on adult stem cell treatments
The following is an excerpt. Adult stem cell experiments don’t require the destruction of human embryos–they can be derived from ...
Racial quotas, Harvard, and the legacy of Bakke
The following is an excerpt. For almost 35 years, college-admissions decisions in America have been governed by the continuing legacy ...
