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 blueprint for fetus built using tests of parents
For the first time, researchers at the University of Washington have determined almost the complete genome of a fetus, using ...
Noninvasive genetic test for Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome highly accurate
Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists ...
Stem cells behind clogged arteries, mouse study reveals
A previously unknown type of stem cell is the culprit behind blocked blood vessels that can lead to heart attack ...
Personalized medicine and the Human Genome Project
It’s nearly a decade since the completion of the Human Genome Project, (1) which aimed to sequence the complete human ...
Artificial DNA copies just like the real thing
The language of life is about to expand its vocabulary. An international team of researchers discovered that the body's copying ...
Study: ‘Smart bomb’ drug attacks breast cancer
A new kind of medicine to fight breast cancer is emerging: a drug combination designed to act like a smart ...
Some stem cells can trigger tumors
Stem cells often used in reconstructive surgery following mastectomies and other cancer-removal treatments may pose a danger: Cornell biomedical scientists ...
Screening new drugs with stem cells
Mass producing stem cells to screen drugs and study the progress of disease is not the sexier side of the ...
First epigenome in Europe completed
A study led by Manel Esteller, director of the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute ...
Stem cell scientists take hope from first human trials but see long road ahead
Hilton has the distinction of being the first person in the UK to receive a transplant of human embryonic stem ...
Variations of a single gene can lead to too much or too little growth, study shows
A gene previously linked to too much growth in patients has now also been linked to growth restriction. Different forms ...
Gene therapy approval?
After 20 years of high-profile failure, gene therapy is finally well on its way to clinical approval ...
U.S. House Democrats defeat sex-selective abortion ban
The House of Representatives voted down a bill Thursday that sought to ban sex-selective abortion, 246-168, according to the Washington ...
Israel in all of US? Research find Jewish links in unusual places
This is not a story of Lost Tribes, but of lost history–the discovery of “Jewish genes” in Hispano Christian populations ...
Stem cell resting state regulation revealed
The growth or production of hematopoietic stem cells (stem cells that give rise to all blood cell types) is known ...
Bioethics and corruption: What’s the link?
Corruption is not a chapter heading in most bioethics textbooks. But a passionate article in a recent issue of the ...
Chemical exposure ups descendants’ sensitivity to stress
Animals whose ancestors were exposed to an environmental compound generations earlier have been found to developed an increased reaction to ...
Stem cells tested for heart attack repair
Scientists are a step closer to harnessing a technique that “literally mends broken hearts”, according to the Daily Express. The ...
Researchers solve structure of human protein critical for silencing genes
In a study published in the journal Cell on May 24, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists describe the three-dimensional ...
How will abortion politics be effected by advent of advanced DNA screening ?
Today, if you’re pregnant with a defective fetus, you won’t know about the problem till you’re well along. At 10 ...
Living with Huntington’s disease
Children have a 50-50 chance of inheriting the rare disease from their parents. Kristen Powers told USA TODAY in April ...
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 ...
Should government financed DNA research be practical or theoretical?
Scientific breakthroughs like Jeffreys's exemplify what is known in modern science as "impact". This contentious concept tiptoes along the intersection ...
Growth factor in stem cells may spur recovery from multiple sclerosis
A substance in human mesenchymal stem cells that promotes growth appears to spur restoration of nerves and their function in ...
Rainbow papayas: First GM fruit to resist virus- now on sale in Japan
A breakthrough in Japan, which has been historically precautionary about GM foods: “Rainbow” papayas–genetically modified to withstand the deadly ringspot ...
Blood test due for postpartum depression?
A simple blood test soon may be able to predict which new mothers will suffer from postpartum depression, a condition ...
Patient’s stem cells show promise in treating urinary incontinence
Findings from a multi-center trial led by researchers at Beaumont Hospital may give urologists another minimally invasive treatment option for ...
