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.
Viewpoint: Challenging yet another scientifically silly article claiming Black domination of sprinting and long distance running has nothing to do with genetics and ancestry
Conceding genes contribute to racial gaps in athletic performance makes it more plausible they contribute to racial IQ gaps ...
‘Humanized’ mice with fully-functional human immune systems could transform how we test cancer drugs
Scientists at UT Health San Antonio have engineered the world’s first humanized mouse model with a fully functioning human immune ...
Are you a night owl? Genes from our Neanderthal ancestors could be responsible for the way we sleep
In a recently published paper, scientists suggest that genes from our oldest relatives could be responsible for the way we ...
Viewpoint: Avian flu is ‘wreaking havoc on poultry farms and spreading among cattle herds.’ Could it become a full-blown pandemic in humans?
The current strain of bird flu, known as “highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1" is like a “super virus” in its ...
Worried about having a blind dog? Now there is a genetic screening for inherited disease
A DNA test could uncover a genetic mutation that causes blindness and eliminate progressive retinal atrophy in dogs ...
How genetics shapes the Olympics
Some athletes have won the genetic lottery, prompting scientists to probe the role of genes in athletic prowess ...
Dogs not only can smell stress in human sweat — they also react to it emotionally
Humans and dogs have been close companions for perhaps 30,000 years, according to anthropological and DNA evidence. So it would make sense that ...
Height, hormones and disease: Deeper dives into the genetics of populations in Latin America, Africa South and East Asia broadens our understanding of genetic diversity
Catalog of data generated by Johns Hopkins scientists includes groups traditionally neglected in research with more accurate insights ...
‘You learn a lot when you include individuals of non-European populations’: Genetic study analyzes genes of 636,000 diverse veterans
An expansive new study offers clear evidence that sequencing the genomes of diverse populations can yield fresh insights into how ...
50 colorful examples of how genetics programs human diversity
Human DNA is programmed to be unique. Your body contains about 20,000–25,000 genes responsible for giving you brown hair instead ...
Ecosystem engineers: The intriguing ways humans are still evolving
We’ve conquered biology and eliminated the effects of evolution on our species, but that’s not what the science says ...
Belief in sorcery runs deep in Papua New Guinea. Science education helps villages understand why people get sick
Sorcery and sanguma beliefs deeply rooted in our cultural beliefs. So everyone, whoever’s family member dies or somebody else in the community ...
Chimpanzees and humans share 98.8% of their DNA — and just like people, ‘chimps are both bloodthirsty warmongers and thoughtful beings’
Although chimpanzees and humans share a surprising 98.8 percent of their DNA, our differences are vast – or at least we ...
How did current ape species found in Africa evolve?
Fossil remains in Europe and Asia show ape species flourishing and evolving new traits during that gap period for African ...
‘Flecks of ancient viral DNA’ could be sparking cancer in modern-day humans
Cancer growth can be fueled by flecks of ancient viral DNA lodged into the genetics of modern humans, a new ...
Mars Base Alpha: Inside Elon Musk’s plans to build a Martian civilization of a million people in 20 years
Musk has directed SpaceX employees to drill into the design and details of a Martian city, according to people with ...
Darwin vs Wallace: 150-year-old argument on evolution resolved by AI
In the 1800s, a conflict between the founding fathers of evolution divided the community between Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel ...
This is your brain on ‘magic mushrooms’
If you had to come up with a groovy visualization of the human brain on psychedelic drugs, it might look ...
More than three-quarters of Americans still believe a god created humans in some form. Believe it or not, that’s an all-time low
Twenty-four percent of U.S. adults accept the scientific theory of evolution and 37%, are creationist purists ...
5,000 years ago, European human populations plummeted in numbers. Could the plague be the culprit?
DNA evidence from tombs in Sweden and Denmark suggests major plague outbreaks were responsible for the Neolithic decline in northern ...
Synthetic fireflies? Identifying contaminated water with gene-edited cells that light up when they detect pollutants
Study has revealed a revolutionary method for identifying contaminants in water using the properties of fireflies ...
Why consciousness? Understanding the evolution of human intelligence helps inform the future of AI
Neuropsychologists argue consciousness is not result of evolution of the central nervous system, but arose for humans to better communicate ...
Study of nearly 5,000 9 and 10 year-olds reveals that sex and gender map onto largely distinct parts of the brain
A new study of nearly 5,000 9- and 10-year-olds found that sex and gender map onto largely distinct parts of ...
Animal commuication breakthrough: How AI could help us decode what our pets are saying
We could train artificial intelligence (AI) to understand animal communication better than we can, using footage of animal interactions ...
Viewpoint: The dangerous emerging anti-vaccine political alliance between Donald Trump and RFK, Jr.
Former president Donald Trump appeared to share Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-held vaccine skepticism and urged the independent presidential candidate to do something “big” ...
Are you a loud sneezer? Here’s why that might be a good thing
While the causes of sneezing vary, there’s no reason a virus should produce a louder sneeze than grass pollen ...
Only 10% of all plastic ever made has been recycled. Here’s why — and how we can improve the recycling process
Technology is giving us more options to reuse and recycle plastic waste, but new methods are still far from perfect ...
