Gene That Gives us Edge Over Apes Decoded

Gene That Gives us Edge Over Apes Decoded

London: Researchers have discovered a new gene which they say helps explain how humans evolved from chimpanzees. The gene, called miR-941,is carried only by humans and it appeared after humans evolved from apes and played a crucial role in human brain development and could shed light on how we learned to use tools and language. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared it to 11 other species of mammals, including chimpanzees, gorillas, mice and rats. This finding, published in Nature Communications, brings us closer to answering one of science's leading questions: What makes the human body different from other mammals? A previous study that also analysed the differences between apes and humans found that the evolutionary genetic advantages that help humans live longer than apes also make them more vulnerable to diseases of ageing, including heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Scientists led by Dr. Martin Taylor at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine showed that miR-941 had an important part in the development of the human brain and can even help explain how we acquire language and learn to use tools. This new gene is the first known gene to be found in humans and not in apes. According to the team, it appears to have a certain purpose in the human body. (The Times of India, New Delhi, Nov. 16, 2012 p. 19) Did genetic accident lead to human intelligence London: Scientists have discovered the origin of intelligence after identifying a'genetic accident 500million years ago when the genes that enabled humans to think and reason evolved. Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh have discovered how humans and other mammals evolved to have intelligence. They found that intelligence in humans developed as the result of an increase in the number of brain genes in our evolutionary ancestors. Scientists also believe that the same genes that improved our mental capacity are also responsible for a number of brain disorders. The researchers suggest that a simple invertebrate animal living in the sea 500million years ago experienced a'genetic accident, which resulted in extra copies of these genes being made. This animal's descendants benefited from these extra genes, leading to behaviourally sophisticated vertebrates-including humans". One of the greatest scientific problems is to explain how intelligence arose during evolution", professor Seth Grant, of the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, said. (The Times of India, New Delhi, Dec. 4, 2012, p. 19)

الرّساله ستمبر 2013