brain

Is brain hacking possible?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Accessing the human brain to enable functional connections with electronic technology may sound incredibly futuristic, but a handful of entrepreneurs, ...
MARS COLONY HERO PSD

Quest to colonize space demands boost from biotechnology, synthetic biology

Genetic Literacy Project | 
The lack of technology for such sustainable life support systems is a major factor underlying criticism of human space exploration ...
dna bible

Are our views on religion, astrology and new-age beliefs hardwired?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Our beliefs, including irrational ones such as an embrace of pseudoscience and 'fake news', have been shown to be somewhat ...
facial

How facial recognition software may help identify genetic disorders

Genetic Literacy Project | 
The technology might help in diagnosing rare genetic disorders. But the depiction of its promises and challenges by the media ...
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Did life originate on Earth? It’s becoming more difficult to say ‘yes’

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Discovery of Earth-sized planets and of microbial fossils as old as 4.5 billion years may shed light on the question ...
Transgenic spider silk: About superheroes, medical devices and space elevators

Transgenic spider silk: About superheroes, medical devices and space elevators

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Maybe you'd like to be bullet proof like Superman or shoot silk from your body to fling between buildings like ...
hiv

HIV fix: Can gene editing work alongside the virus to provide a cure?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
HIV is no longer a death sentence in much of the developed world. But effective treatment in developing nations needs ...
space

Deep-space travel, colonization may rely on genetically engineered life forms

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Space exploration fires the imagination but presents many practical challenges—among them, how humans or organisms chosen to accompany us can ...
fossils

Moroccan fossils: New thinking on human evolution shaped by technological advancements

Genetic Literacy Project | 
In recent years, we have witnessed an acceleration of discoveries related to the evolution of humanity. This is due to ...
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Activists fan concerns about CRISPR ‘off target’ effects in gene-edited crops and foods. Are they right?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Off-target simply means an unintended effect as opposed to what researcher's are trying to produce. It's akin to side effects ...
intel

Bell Curve redux: Is the science of intelligence too taboo to research?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
A new study identified genes linked to intelligence while a recent interview of political scientist Charles Murray, co-author of The ...
csectoin

Cesarean section: How this booming birth procedure influences human evolution

Genetic Literacy Project | 
The rising use of C-sections around the world is altering the survival rates of mothers and fetuses who might not ...
star trek transporter

Star Trek-like transporter might solve brain disease mysteries, understand religious belief

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Scientists have modeled a Star Trek-like transporter illusion to learn about how the human brain shapes our sense of spatial ...
pigs

New transplantation era beckons if we’re ok with growing organs in pigs

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Some day, human organs from pigs may fill the organ gap, and the needed science and engineering is advancing rapidly, ...
seti

Are we alone? If not, why hasn’t anyone dropped by Earth for a visit?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Scientists disagree on the probability that advanced extraterrestrials exist somewhere in the universe. Among the biggest arguments against aliens is ...
kellogs

Breitbart vs. Kellogg’s: Forcing some anti-GMO progressives to choose a side

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Critics of GMOs tend to align with the political left. But an ongoing feud between a right-wing news service and ...
robot

Are we ready to welcome intelligent robots into the human family?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Artificial intelligence (AI) may become so advanced that some computer minds achieve consciousness and self-awareness. Would these machines be granted ...
trees

Glowing trees, no more colonoscopies and other wonders of synthetic biology

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Synthetic biology offers the opportunity to create a wide array of novel life forms, products and approaches to medicine -- ...
mind chatter

Seeing patterns that aren’t there? Understanding how the brain forms opinions — And implications for science

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Humans have a natural inclination to 'order the world,' our minds imposing familiar patterns on the chaos of life. Could ...
embryo

Time to amend human embryo research ’14-day rule’?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
The rule that cuts off research on human embryos at 14 days gestation is based on an arbitrary time limit ...
gene

Avoiding the unexpected: Zika, malaria-fighting gene drive in mosquitoes has built-in safety net

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Concerns about CRISPR gene drives and other CRISPR applications have to do with the possibility that something could go wrong ...
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‘Brain fingerprints’: Will semantic memory identification replace fingerprints and passwords?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Semantic memory identification is an emerging ID technology based on the patterns of electrical signals that your brain puts out ...
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Enhancing humans: Becoming a cyborg could end up as a privilege of the wealthy

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Within the next 200 years, humans will have become so merged with technology that we’ll have evolved into “God-like cyborgs” ...
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Could life have emerged multiple times on Earth, in the universe?

Genetic Literacy Project | 
If we discover that life forms on Mars or Europa do not share an origin with Earth life, we'll have ...
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Collateral damage from Trump’s family planning aid ban? What it means in fight against thalassemia blood diseases

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Reversal of current US policy that provides aid for countries around the world for family planning, including abortion counseling, could ...
tricorder

Star Trek-like ‘tricorders’ promise DNA analysis on the go

Genetic Literacy Project | 
We are rapidly approaching a time when Star Trek-style "tricorders" will offer rapid handheld analysis of genetic samples. It could ...
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Piltdown Man evolution hoax reminds us about danger of confirmation bias

Genetic Literacy Project | 
A 100-year-old hoax involving the "discovery" of a missing link in the human evolution chain provides insights into the pitfalls ...
sustainable

The future is here: 3 ways technology can improve sustainability

Genetic Literacy Project | 
Generating energy and using more land for crops increases atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. So does livestock farming. But there are ...
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