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.
Sea moss is the latest ‘it’ ingredient in supplements and beauty products. What is it, and does it have any benefits?
The latest “it” ingredient is sea moss—a type of red algae that has become a viral phenomenon. It is being ...
Why have colorectal cancer cases skyrocketed in recent years among young adults?
Signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer include changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, cramping or ...
Almost everything you thought you knew about ‘long-hauler’ COVID is being revised
Long COVID comes Into the light: We’re finally starting to see the truth about the vexing condition. It’s not what ...
Mood-logging earbuds? Fatigue-tracking hats? Brain-reading neurotechnology is on the horizon
Earbuds measure the mood of office workers, and hard hats track fatigue in truckers. Neurotechnology aims to do more—much more ...
Epigenetics: How environment impacts health of you, your child — and possibly their children as well
Why you need to know about epigenetics: A lesser-known genetic code influences your health—and that of your kids and grandkids ...
Signs of recently-formed glacier ice found on Mars
Remnants of a modern glacier have been found near Mars' equator, suggesting ice may still exist at shallow depths in ...
‘The World Athletics Council decided to prioritize fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion’: Explaining the Council’s ban on transgender athletes
The World Athletics Council has today made a number of important decisions regarding the future participation of the Russian and ...
Digital eternal life: Billionaires back research into lifespan-expanding drugs, immortality technology. Here’s why they might succeed
Reverse the aging process and live decades longer? Transfer your brain onto a database and achieve digital immortality? Humans one ...
Rethinking the ‘clean cosmetics’ movement: ‘It’s reductive to think that just because it’s biotech it’s inherently more sustainable’
For a class of ingredients that stack so many sustainability wins, why aren’t more of our everyday products packed with ...
Viewpoint: ‘Imagine grilling lab-grown steak on your patio with bricks made from bacteria’ — Regulations stymie US biomanufacturing benefits
Breakthroughs in biomanufacturing could position the U.S. economy for new possibilities that reshape industries — and maintain our global competitiveness ...
DNA in a lock of Beethoven’s hair reveals his likely cause of death
Beethoven’s genome has been sequenced for the first time by an international team of scientists using five genetically matching locks ...
Podcast: Can we ‘manipulate the body’s natural electric fields’ to treat wounds, depression, paralysis and cancer?
Scientists are looking into ways to manipulate the body's natural electrical fields to try and treat wounds, depression, paralysis, and ...
A handful of patients inherited an early-onset Alzheimer’s gene — but never got the disease. Can they provide clues to preventing dementia?
Now scientists are on the lookout for even more Alzheimer’s escapees — people who may have simply assumed they didn’t ...
Gene editing medicine is accelerating: More than 200 people worldwide have been treated with experimental CRISPR therapies
More than 200 people have been treated with experimental CRISPR therapies. But at a global genome-editing summit, exciting trial results ...
How would US health and government officials have handled COVID if we knew then what we know now?
In March 2020, the virus held many mysteries. Some early assumptions didn’t hold up, while other key findings wouldn’t come ...
CRISPR gene editing has shown it can cure sickle cell anemia — raising questions about who can access this life-changing treatment
At age 37, free of symptoms, able to be a mom and work a full-time job, sickle cell patient and ...
NOVIDS: Why do some people never catch COVID despite frequent exposures?
While the exact number of people who have remained uninfected isn’t known with certainty, a review of comprehensive serologic data ...
Want your future child to get into Yale? 4 out of 10 Americans say they would pursue genetic testing of potential embryos to select for higher intelligence
The possibility of screening embryos for complex inherited traits will force society to profoundly rethink its reproductive ethics ...
‘Three-parent baby’ mitochondrial replacement therapy was developed to prevent fatal illnesses — but the the technique might not work as expected
Mitochondria are little “energy factories” that float around in the cytoplasm of our cells. While most of our DNA is ...
Lab leak or animal source? Strong evidence that COVID traces to raccoon dogs in China
The strongest evidence yet that an animal started the pandemic: A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to ...
Why do humans like to get high? Apes who spin themselves dizzy might offer clues
Great apes spinning behaviours could provide clues about the role of altered states for the origins of the human mind ...
Dogs of Chernobyl: What exposure to chronic, low-level radiation does to a species
Dogs roam the ghost town of Pripyat within the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine. Scientists have identified genetically distinct populations ...
The science of mental acuity: Why some people defy aging
There’s something to the adage that age is only a number. Scientists increasingly are distinguishing between chronological and biological age ...
Medication abortion has emerged as major legal front in US battle over abortion access. Here’s what might happen
Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling on June 24, 2022, four new cases have been filed in federal courts specifically regarding aspects of the FDA’s ...
2 billion people have impaired vision. Here’s how CRISPR might lead to a cure
See how researchers are uncovering the mechanisms of retinal degeneration and identifying new targets for therapeutic intervention ...
Viewpoint: Human gene editing research prioritizes speed, profit, and breakthroughs. Is that in sync with fundamental ethical values?
He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who announced in 2018 that he had edited the DNA of embryos to make them ...
Why human brains aren’t cut out for modern workplaces
The modern workplace was not designed with the human brain in mind. This disconnect can make it difficult for us ...
