Is the Human Brain Still Evolving?

[selfAdjoint]

Breaking news; see this NY Times story. Two separate genes for brain size have been shown to have developed rapidly in recent times under selection, one since -37,000 (Cro-Magnon era), the other since only -5300 (neolithic, just before writing invented). The papers describing the research are in the current issue of Science.

 

[hitssquad]

Two separate genes for brain size have been shown to have developed rapidly in recent times under selection

Selection from what vectors?

amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0275949176

 

[marcus]

Breaking news; see this NY Times story. Two separate genes for brain size have been shown to have developed rapidly in recent times under selection, one since -37,000 (Cro-Magnon era), the other since only -5300 (neolithic, just before writing invented). The papers describing the research are in the current issue of Science.

great article! the work will have major repercussions and start a lot of other followup research I think

Here is a press release about this work from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and another HHMI link about Bruce Lahn


http://www.hhmi.org/news/lahn4.html

http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/lahn.html

 

[marcus]

some more links:

http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/13/5/489
free download of complete Lahn ASPM article from Human Molecular Genetics
"Adaptive evolution of ASPM, a major determinant of cerebral cortical size in humans"

http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/13/11/1139
free download of complete Lahn Microcephalin article from Human Molecular Genetics
"Reconstructing the evolutionary history of microcephalin, a gene controlling human brain size."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...list_uids=15620360&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=5
abstract of Lahn article

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...d&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16151009&query_hl=5
abstract of Lahn Microcephalin article in 9 Sept Science journal.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...d&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16151010&query_hl=5
abstract of Lahn ASPM article in 9 Sept Science