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.
‘Genetic signatures’ may predict prostate cancer
Researchers have identified genetic "signatures" for aggressive prostate cancer (the second most common cause of death in men, after lung ...
Mouse eggs created from stem cells
Mouse eggs can now be cooked up from scratch. Using stem cells, a Japanese team has created healthy eggs that, ...
DNA sequencing: Is science fiction becoming medical fact?
In two papers in major scientific journals, researchers today suggested pushing DNA sequencing into more routine use in the clinic, ...
New DNA test pinpoints newborns’ genetic diseases in days
A faster DNA sequencing machine and streamlined analysis of the results can diagnose genetic disorders in days rather than weeks, ...
ACLU asks Supreme Court to rule on gene patents
The ACLU has petitioned the US Supreme Court to review a Federal Circuit Court’s decision that an isolated DNA sequence ...
Gene therapy: Triggering turning genes on and off with light
U.S. researchers have developed a system, triggered by blue light, that can seek out and turn on or off any ...
How genetics shape political beliefs
Studies of identical twins unequivocally demonstrate the heritability of politically related behavior. What they do not do, though, is explain ...
Bid to save Indian state Chhattisgarh’s wild buffaloes through cloning
Indian state Chhattisgarh has begun an ambitious programme to increase the population of the wild buffalo through cloning ...
Anti-genetics NGO slams technique to eliminate hereditary diseases as unethical manipulation
The Center for Genetics and Society, which opposes gene modification on ideological grounds, is portraying as unethical a fertility treatment ...
Past and future: Re-examining Dolly the Sheep, the first cloned animal
Fifteen years ago, scientists in Edinburgh announced to the world an incredible breakthrough: the creation of the first cloned animal--a ...
Stem cells need recovery time
A new study describes the mechanism behind impaired muscle repair during aging and a strategy that may help rejuvenate aging ...
Gene therapy used to combat immunodeficiency
UCLA researchers are using a gene therapy to restore the immune systems of children with so-called "Bubble Boy" disease. The ...
‘Humanized’ mice advance study of rheumatoid arthritis
Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have developed the first animal model that duplicates the human response in ...
Stem cells transplanted into 1st Macular-Degeneration patient
StemCells Inc. (STEM) said it transplanted neural stem cells into its first patient with dry age-related macular degeneration, pushing forward ...
Animal models get closer to mimicking humans: Could help with treatment of diseases
Animal models contribute significantly to our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathologies. However, few models predictably translate preclinical findings ...
Are animal traits the result of behavioral epigenetics?
A plant that is unremarkable in one environment becomes an invasive species in another, pushing through house foundations and sprouting ...
DNA construction technology makes genetic engineering cheaper, faster
Sequencing, splicing and expressing DNA may seem to be the quintessence of cutting-edge science—indeed DNA manipulation has revolutionized fields such ...
Whole-genome sequencing tracks spread of severe intestinal disease in sub-Saharan Africa
The emergence and spread of a particularly virulent and rapidly evolving strain of Salmonella bacteria may have been made worse ...
Study sheds light on bone marrow stem cell therapy for pancreatic recovery
Researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have found that a blood vessel-building gene boosts the ability of human bone ...
Statistical method will analyze important, poorly studied areas of human genome
Each year, more and more pieces of the human genome puzzle fall into place, but large holes still remain. Researchers ...
DNA test for babies speeds diagnosis
A new technique for quickly analyzing the DNA of newborns zeros in on mutations that can cause disease, demonstrating that ...
Could stem cells hold the key to treating traumatic brain injuries?
As part of Rainbow Coral Corp.'s mission to deliver effective new cures for traumatic brain injury, the company is investigating ...
Stem cell-modifying antibodies could be used for regenerative therapies
Stem cell therapeutics firm Medistem and Superview Biotechnology signed a collaboration centered on the use of Medistem’s stem cell lines ...
Study shows epigenetics of adult stem cells influences organ creation
A team led by Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program in the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute ...
Could hand-made humans may hold the key to saving the world?
I propose that we consider another solution to the problem of climate change that has not been considered before and ...
First large scale trial of whole-genome cancer testing for clinical decision-making
For the first time, researchers have conducted a large trial in which they tested the entire genome of individual breast ...
Chemotherapy may be creating cancer stem cells
Cancer treatments may be creating more dangerous and persistent cancer cells that are resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation. Three ...
