Science Literacy Project Daily Digest
Modified tomatoes mimic actions of good cholesterol
The following is an edited excerpt. UCLA researchers have genetically engineered tomatoes to produce a peptide that mimics the actions ...
When newspapers con the public
The following is an edited excerpt. Now let’s turn to the Guardian, and this video on genetically modified crops it recently posted on ...
Organic always good, GMO always bad?
The following is an excerpt. There has been a lot of controversy about how organic foods are so much better ...
Researchers publish improved Neanderthal genome
The following is an edited excerpt. Researchers in Germany said Tuesday they have completed the first high-quality sequencing of a ...
A month without Monsanto?
The following is an edited excerpt. April Dávila, a writer for Yes! magazine, tired to see if she could go one month “without consuming any ...
The whole truth about Whole Foods
The following is an excerpt. Whole Foods Market (WFM) is being praised in the media for announcing that it will ...
Are boys really better at math, girls better at reading?
Are the human sexes distinct in their math abilities? In their reading abilities? Sex differences in math and reading scores ...
Ghana: Farmers receive education on modern biotechnology
Farmers noted that over the years several interventions of modern technology in increasing production were brought to their doorsteps yet ...
Organic farmers depend on decidedly inorganic crops
The following is an excerpt. Fertilizer that comes from cows or other animals does not really originate with them. Manure from cows ...
Do you know what your child is eating?
The following is an excerpt. It is extraordinarily hard to avoid GMOs inside of the U.S. since companies aren't required ...
Inherited genetic variations have mjor impact on childhood leukemia risk
The following is an edited excerpt. Humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes that carry instructions for assembling the proteins ...
Stem cell research could expand clinical use of regenerative human cells
The following is an edited excerpt. New research has uncovered a method to produce retinal cells from regenerative human stem ...
Chinese scientists may soon be able to genetically engineer smarter children
The following is an edited excerpt. A company in China is attempting to identify common alleles in the DNA of ...
Lord Robert Winston warns over child ‘eugenics’
Genetic technologies could be exploited in the future to produce more intelligent, stronger and attractive offspring, with better regulation needed ...
Replacement “bioteeth” from stem cells a step closer
The following is an edited excerpt. New research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre ...
Letters: Knowing what’s in the food we eat
Two letters to the editor about the debate over GM-labeling are excerpted below. On the pro-labeling side: Andrew Kimbrell, Executive DirectorCenter for ...
Three-person IVF could move closer in UK
The following is an edited excerpt. The UK could move a step closer to allowing the creation of babies from ...
Most popular human cell in science gets sequenced
The following is an excerpt. The research world’s most famous human cell has had its genome decoded, and it’s a ...
Realizing the promise of newborn screening
Geneticist James P. Evans argues that it is time to start looking at genetic testing through the lens of disease ...
Living with a genetic time bomb
The following is an excerpt. There was no doubt in Chontell Johnson's mind. When a genetic test revealed her mother ...
Is China selectively breeding a new generation of genius babies?
The following is an excerpt. There's a provocative and somewhat disturbing article over at Vice about China's recent foray into genetics and the country's ...
Australia: Patentability of isolated DNA
The following is an excerpt. Patents on human genes continue to cause controversy in the academic and popular press. A recent decision in Australia (1) ...
Spanish researchers link cancer to failures in chromosome protection for the first time
The following is an excerpt. This is the first time that an essential gene for the protection of telomeres, the ...
Did Whole Foods go too far on GMO-labeling?
The following is an edited excerpt. For most consumers in America, their take on Whole Foods GMO-labeling initiative likely rests ...
The narcissism of de-extinction
The following is an excerpt. If people had the ability to resurrect extinct species (dubbed “de-extinction”) and reintroduce them to ...
Organic baby food: More expensive, but may not be more nutritious
The following is an edited excerpt. Parents go organic for a variety of reasons, including environmental concerns and a desire ...
Genomics in the clinic
The following is an excerpt. When will whole human genome sequencing hit the long-sought-after $1,000 mark? How will scientists bear ...
