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.
Viewpoint: ‘The true promise of gene-editing isn’t in pitless cherries or vitamin fortified-foods but in the vast potential for treatment and cures of human disease’
While it can be used to modify food, its greatest impact may be in eliminating the mutated genes responsible for ...
Ethical debate escalates over propriety of 14-day limit on lab-grown embryos
Embryo-like structures made using human stem cells could enable research that is not currently possible using natural embryos ...
The world is quickly getting too hot for human bodies. Can we adapt to rapid climate change?
By the time Homo erectus appeared about two million years ago, our ancestors were on their way to becoming endurance ...
Inhalable CRISPR-based treatment for cystic fibrosis, lung disease on the horizon
A nanoparticle developed by MIT chemical engineer Daniel Anderson and colleagues can deliver messenger RNA encoding CRISPR gene-editing proteins to ...
Newly-approved Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi slows mental decline — but high cost poses multi-billion dollar challenge for Medicare
The FDA has just granted traditional approval to Leqembi (lecanemab), an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, after granting ...
In 1974, genetic engineers called for a moratorium on potentially dangerous technology. Is it time for artificial intelligence researchers to do the same?
Although 50 years apart, the debates that followed the DNA and AI letters have a key similarity: In both, a ...
Video: RFK, Jr. claims he’s a libertarian on many issues. Reason magazine challenges him on accusations of a “conspiracist mindset”
RFK Jr. on libertarianism, Tulsi Gabbard, conspiracy theories, drugs, guns, free speech, and more ...
Why stop at three-parent babies? How many biological parents can organisms have?
Most organisms have two parents, but not all. Could an individual have three parents, or even more? ...
‘Last of Us’ in real life? Drug-resistant ‘super fungus’ lurking in the Himalayan mountains
Researchers collected the disease-causing super fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus, from the Three Parallel Rivers region in Yunnan, China ...
Long COVID-like symptoms may be side effect of COVID vaccines, FDA and university researchers tentatively say
A debilitating suite of symptoms that resembles Long Covid, has been more elusive, its link to vaccination unclear ...
What is a ‘digital twin’ — and how could it revolutionize personalized medicine?
Human digital twins, a relatively new concept, are poised to revolutionize the field of personalized medicine ...
‘Oldest decorated cave in France, if not Europe’: Ancient Neanderthal engravings give glimpse into hominid culture
The oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals were discovered on the wall of a cave in France ...
Why are some people more prone to allergies than others? Here’s how our genes make a difference
New research is bolstering scientific understanding behind why some people are more prone to allergies than others ...
Infographic: Pathway of human evolution, from protocells to people
[C]over the four stages of earth’s history and how they relate to our species’ development as well as what happened ...
Long-awaited National Intelligence report on COVID origins rejects China lab leak theory, sparking outrage among Wuhan skeptics and conspiracists
A new U.S. government report debunks the theory that the virus leaked from the Chinese lab ...
Craving food from morning til bedtime: Anecdotal stories reveal how weight-loss drug Ozempic quells ‘food noise’
Until she started taking the weight loss drug Wegovy, Staci Klemmer’s days revolved around food. When she woke up, she plotted ...
What makes kin? DNA testing unlocks remarkable story of a woman with three fathers
DNA tests are uncovering a generation of biological fathers and half-siblings who stretch the bounds of what makes kin ...
Allie the chatbot lover: Open-source AI programmed for innumerable constructive applications — and sex talk
From X-rated chats to cancer research, “open-source” models are challenging tech giants’ control over the AI revolution — to the ...
Podcast: Future fertility — In the coming world of synthetic embryos, can regulation keep up?
Synthetic human embryos: can the law keep pace with the science? – podcast ...
Confidence heuristic: Why humans are biologically programmed to follow self-assured, poised people
Human evolution has led to us naturally believe statements delivered in a more assured manner ...
Scientific 180? One tech multi-millionaire’s journey from evidence-based advocate to COVID misinformation missionary
After boosting unproven covid drugs and campaigning against vaccines, Steve Kirsch was abandoned by his team of scientific advisers ...
Cutting back on alcohol and smoking can be almost impossible. In an unexpected twist, weight-loss drug Ozempic may help
Animal studies suggest GLP-1 drugs alter behaviors associated with reward and pleasure ...
‘The horizon of new possibility is blindingly bright’: Boom in genetic medical breakthroughs could extend for years, says CRISPR co-creator Jennifer Doudna
We may be on the cusp of an era of astonishing innovation — the limits of which aren’t even clear ...
How does genetic makeup affect relationships with addiction?
Genomic research is playing a significant role in shaping our understanding of the genetic components of addiction ...
The ‘natural wine’ craze: Can naturally-fermented alcohol help you avoid headaches and hangovers?
Fewer headaches. Less severe hangovers. Better gut health. How do these health claims stack up against the science? ...
‘Nature’s Ozempic’? How does berberine supplement compare to weight-loss drug Wegovy?
“After seeing how cheap berberine was, I figured I didn’t have anything to lose,” said 34-year-old Savannah Crosby, who has ...
Earth’s first predators and our most ancient ancestors: Previously unknown micro-organisms that pillaged the world’s oceans
Traces of molecules found in ancient rocks are revealing a wild ecosystem of early life that hunted and thrived in ...
