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.
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 ...
Is late-stage cancer incurable? Drug developments turns some cancers from a death-sentence into a manageable chronic disease
Cures or long-term survival for certain types of the disease—are still stubbornly out of reach ...
25% of people who lost sense of smell and taste after COVID infection do not recover senses
Millions of Americans have been infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic of the novel coronavirus began in March 2020, and ...
Old polio vaccines can mutate into a dangerous version of the disease — but a new ‘super-engineered’ vaccine is much safer
Scientists have "super-engineered" polio vaccines to prevent them mutating into a dangerous form that can cause outbreaks and paralysis ...
Video: Everything you need to know about the evolution of the human brain, in 7 minutes
An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes ...
‘Their prognosis has improved so much’: Majority of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer survive long-term, study shows
Most women diagnosed with early breast cancer will become long-term survivors, according to new research that finds a substantial reduction ...
Viewpoint: AI likely won’t gain full consciousness — but if it does, here’s how it would happen
Connecting artificial intelligence systems to the real world through robots and designing them using principles from evolution is the most ...
‘Half-land, half-tree lifestyle’: This 3D computer model of Lucy the Australopithecus afarensis reveals a powerful body
We may only ever have 47 of the 207 bones that made up the skeleton of this 3.18-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis specimen known ...
The EU Parliament pushed forward draft legislation positioned to be the West’s first set of comprehensive AI regulations
Advances in artificial intelligence this year have rocked the tech industry, triggering calls from politicians, consumer groups and AI executives themselves for ...
Rewriting human evolution: Technological breakthroughs have helped us decode ancient DNA. What have we learned so far?
New fossil finds and technological breakthroughs in collecting and decoding ancient DNA are re-writing the history of human evolution, often ...
Mental decline explained: What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia?
The haunting reality of Alzheimer's disease and dementia is a terrifying prospect for many individuals and their families ...
Lousy sex life? Too little intimacy could be risk factor for dementia
What researchers don’t know is whether declining sexual satisfaction is causing the memory decline, vice versa, or whether the two ...
How does social media affect kids’ developing brains? US Surgeon General releases mental health advisory
Today, 95 percent of teenagers use social media, and two-thirds daily. One in 7 kids spends more than seven hours ...
Burst of creativity: Frontal lobe dementia boosts poetic and artistic talents
Frontotemporal dementia can release the creative potential of the brain’s visual areas ...
Self love: Why masturbation evolved
The behavior may help males be fertile and disease-free. But data on females are lacking ...
Viewpoint: After years of yo-yo dieting, Ozempic helped me lose 40 pounds. I’m still debating if it was worth it
Opinion: I lost 40 pounds on Ozempic. But I’m left with even more questions ...
Alcohol is good for you, alcohol is bad for you? Here’s yet another study to fuel the debate
Researchers say they may be able to explain how light drinking benefits the heart, and its main effect doesn’t stem ...
Video: From wild wolves to domesticated pets, here’s the history of dog evolution
Survival of the friendliest: How dogs evolved to be man's best friend ...
