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.
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Parasitic plants ‘steal’ genes from their hosts
New research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Genomics reveals that the Malaysian parasitic plant Rafflesia cantleyi, ...
Genetic testing of far-right Hungarian politician provokes an uproar
If you think running for office in the United States is rigorous, then you haven't met Hungary's far-right Jobbik party ...
Is Gattaca becoming real?
The popular 1997 science fiction film Gattacaportrays a futuristic world in which human beings genetically engineered (GE) with certain desirable ...
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 ...
Personal Genomics: DNA helps Michelle Obama discover white ancestral roots, provides window into history of slavery
One of the remarkable innovations brought on by the DNA revolution is the ability to trace our personal and family ...
Knowing yeast genome produces better wine
The yeast Dekkera bruxellensis plays an important role in the production of wine, as it can have either a positive ...
Researchers urge EU not to cut stem cell funding
Leading scientists, biomedical research bodies and patient groups urged the European Parliament on Friday to maintain vital European Union funding ...
Stem cells stay alive for 17 days in dead bodies
Scientists have revealed that some stem cells can lay dormant for more than two weeks in a dead person and ...
Scientists make breakthrough with retinal tissues from stem cells
A research team said it has produced stratified retinal tissues from human embryonic stem cells for the first time in ...
GM crops: Bring on the beneficial bugs
Chinese scientists have developed a new type of GM cotton engineered to make its own chemical protection against cotton pests ...
