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.
What did sixth-century Chinese Emperor Wu look like? Genetic analysis creates 3D face reconstruction
A team of researchers has successfully generated a genome of the Chinese Emperor Wu (Wudi) of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou ...
Video: BBC uncovers massive deception by Britain’s ‘social egg freezing’ clinics
Video: Women who freeze their eggs are being misled by some UK clinics about their chances of having a baby ...
Infographic: Could gut bacteria help us diagnose and treat diseases? This is on the horizon thanks to CRISPR gene editing
Humans are never alone. Even in a room devoid of other people, they are always in the company of billions ...
Out of Africa revisited: Where did humans migrate after leaving the continent?
A new study offers that bands of hunter-gatherers appear to have lingered for thousands of years as a homogeneous population ...
Earlier detection and new therapies stir quiet transformation in Alzheimer’s treatment
Advances in early detection and management of the disease have changed the way patients view an Alzheimer’s diagnosis ...
Going on 4 years later, 1 in 16 Americans still suffer from brain fog and other remnants of COVID
4 years ago, physicians coined the term "long COVID" to describe a form of the viral infection from which recovery ...
Curvy women advantage? Large buttocks may signal an evolutionary edge
Research suggests that humans evolved to have larger buttocks compared to other mammals because we primarily walk on two legs ...
Can this DNA test predict your chances of getting addicted to opioids? FDA approval stirs controversy
Using a swab inside the cheek and a sophisticated computer algorithm, a DNA test recently approved by federal regulators promises to ...
What is the meaning of life? Artificial intelligence is trying to find out
It took humans 134 years to discover Norn cells. Last summer, computers in California discovered them on their own in ...
Viewpoint: ‘For most young people, a medical pathway is not the best way to manage gender-related distress’ — English rethink puberty blockers for youth in wake of controversial ‘Cass Report’
Hilary Cass is the kind of hero the world needs today. She has entered one of the most toxic debates ...
Viewpoint: Hunting cloned sheep? What weird things might happen as our bio-engineering skills improve?
Some people — not just Montanans — pay to indulge in “captive hunting,” and large sheep make excellent targets ...
Viewpoint: Is 23andMe a ‘sinking ship?’ Stock value plummets in face of dwindling customer base and data breaches
The consumer genome sequencing company 23andMe is a sinking ship – and its CEO is conducting the orchestra ...
‘Their clocks are ticking faster’: Accelerated biological aging linked to cancer risks
Accelerated aging — when someone’s biological age is greater than their chronological age — could increase the risk of cancer ...
Puppy love: When did the ‘unique and deeply ancient role of dogs as human companions’ begin?
A poignant, 2,000-year-old burial in northern Italy could be the latest evidence of an ancient friendship between man and dog ...
‘Miracle’ sickle cell cure limits ability to have children: What are the options?
When Celenise Mahmood first learned about two new gene therapies that could cure sickle cell disease, she felt a wave ...
Generation X and evolution illiteracy: 30% or less acknowledge human evolution, although they do get slightly wiser as they age
A new study illustrates that the attitudes of Americans in Generation X toward evolution shifted as they aged ...
City-dwellers are gradually losing their ability to digest plant foods
Urban humans have developed trouble digesting plants while rural populations still have lots of the gut bacteria that break down ...
Humans are naturally wired to feel fear. What happens in the brain when this turns into PTSD?
Experiencing a generalization of fear is psychologically damaging and can result in debilitating long-term mental health conditions ...
Viewpoint: Dead-end drugs? First-generation breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatments are falling short of expectations
The quest to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease has historically been a lost cause with failed drugs and dashed ...
Sex and disease: Gene identified that protects men from death when hospitalized with COVID
A new study has identified a gene variant that protects men from from severe illness and death when COVID-19 lands ...
AI-powered patch that reads throat muscle movements can potentially restore speech for people with voice disorders
AI-powered patch reads throat muscle movements, potentially restoring speech for people with voice disorders ...
What’s going on in your brain when you’re zoning out on the couch?
The brain's 'default mode' has inspired a raft of research into networks of brain regions and how they interact with ...
AI and race: This bot can sniff out depression based on your social media posts — but only if you’re white
Over the years, scientists had developed methods to identify depression by analyzing the language people use in social media posts ...
Leading ways CRISPR is being honed to cure and prevent disease
Talented researchers are exploring ways of using CRISPR to edit genes by cutting and pasting any desired DNA sequence ...
How common is incest? Rise of genetic testing reveals disturbing evidence
Across human cultures, incest between close family members is one of the most universal and most deeply held taboos ...
Microplastics found clogging human arteries and lungs. What are the long-term health consequences?
Raising risk of heart attacks in humans: microplastics have been found in the blood and in organs such as the ...
‘This should be setting off alarms’: Nearly 18 million Americans could be living with long COVID. What are the implications?
CDC data shows nearly 18m people could be living with long Covid even as health agency relaxes isolation recommendations ...
