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We Really Are Our Mothers…

Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang have a guest post at Olivia Judson's On the Wild Side in which they discuss the complex interactions between genes and environment, focusing on personality and life experiences. They say that people with similar personalities, which are partially due to genes, are drawn to particular environments. Thus, they may share similar life experiences, such as getting into bar fights, mugged, or suffering from alcoholism. Aamodt and Wang add that the heritability of psychological traits increases as people get older and have more control over their environment. "Apparently those of us who suspect we are turning into our parents as we get older may have a valid point," they write.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.