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.
Some embryonic stem cells more powerful than first believed
Here's a biggie uncovered by scientists led by Samuel L. Pfaff of the Salk Institute: A small number of human ...
Researchers say Parkinson’s cure may lie in the human nose – USA Today
University of Louisville researchers hoping to find a cure for Parkinson's disease have discovered an unlikely potential treatment — stem ...
Genetic control of germination in plant
The tiny seeds of the obligate root parasitic plants of the Orobanchaceae do not germinate unless they detect chemical signals ...
Study examines biology of sexual orientation
Is being gay in people's DNA? A new study was launched earlier this year to try and find the elusive ...
A huge step for gene therapy
A new gene therapy from researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital gives hope to children born with an extremely rare ...
Genes significantly misregulated in autistic kids
Scientists have found genetic changes that help explain why one person has an autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and another does ...
Scots-US tie-up on stem cells
Scientists in Scotland and California are to collaborate on medical research that could give new hope to millions with life-threatening ...
Ovarian cancer: experts call for genetic screening
Women with nonmucinous ovarian cancer should be routinely screened for BRCA1/2 mutations, say the Australian authors of groundbreaking research which ...
Diabetes drug may kill cancer stem cells, study says
Results from a new study suggest low doses of the diabetes drug metformin may effectively destroy pancreatic cancer stem cells, ...
Tracking stem cells in the body
Researchers at the University have developed new methods to track stem cells and further understanding of what happens to them ...
Europe tackles ethics of biobanks
Collections of human biological samples used in medical research should be governed by clear rules that safeguard ethics while advancing ...
How kidneys keep hold of early stem cells
Scientists have identified two proteins that are required to maintain a supply of stem cells in the developing kidneys of ...
‘Master molecule’ may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into ...
Women have higher genetic risk of Alzheimer’s
A major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease – the E4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene -- manifests ...
Genetic testing to choose the right antidepressant
Medication selection is part of the art of psychiatry, but, now, testing is available that promises to make it more ...
European researchers crack embryonic stem cells mystery
In their groundbreaking study, a European team of researchers evaluated embryonic stem cells grown in a pure undifferentiated state. The ...
Stem cells help reconstruct cancer patient’s breast
A potentially revolutionary way to help breast cancer survivors uses a woman's own stem cells to repair missing or disfigured ...
New method uses stem cells to create cardiac muscle patches
A cutting-edge method developed at the University of Michigan Center for Arrhythmia Research successfully uses stem cells to create heart ...
Controversial stem cell treatment improves stroke patients
In a new controversial stem cell treatment named the PISCES (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) trial study, five ...
Study suggests expanding the genetic alphabet may be easier than previously thought
A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute suggests that the replication process for DNA-the genetic instructions ...
Rewriting DNA to understand what it says
Our ability to "read" DNA has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the ability to understand and ...
Company gets OK from New Zealand for stem-cell therapy
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. has received approval for its stem-cell therapy drug in New Zealand, the second country to approve the ...
Midwest patient receives successful stem cell transplant to cure sickle cell disease
Chicagoan Ieshea Thomas is the first Midwest patient to receive a successful stem cell transplant to cure her sickle cell ...
Chemists use nanopores to detect DNA damage
Scientists worldwide are racing to sequence DNA -- decipher genetic blueprints -- faster and cheaper than ever by passing strands ...
Genetic test to better detect HIV in donated blood
Chinese health authorities are promoting advanced methods to test blood supplies to help ensure blood safety and reduce HIV infections ...
European geneticists condemn use of testing to establish ‘racial purity’
The use of genetic testing to establish racial origins for political purposes is not only scientifically foolish, but also unethical ...
Variations in sex steroid gene expression can predict aggressive behaviors
An Indiana University biologist has shown that natural variation in measures of the brain's ability to process steroid hormones predicts ...
