!A study reveals amazing differences in the evolution of the brain of modern humans from Neanderthals
A groundbreaking study has revealed striking differences in the evolution of the brain of modern humans and Neanderthals, despite the common perception that Neanderthals were our closest relatives or our cousins.
The study involved inserting a Neanderthal brain gene into mice and rodents and building "mini-brains" called organelles, which were grown in the laboratory from human stem cells. Experiments revealed that the Neanderthal version of the gene was linked to a slower creation of neurons in the cerebral cortex during development, which led scientists to say it could explain the superior cognitive abilities of modern humans.
On this occasion, Welland Huttner said; who led work at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics: "Making more neurons lays the foundation for higher cognitive function."
"We believe this is the first convincing evidence that modern humans were cognitively better than Neanderthals," he added.
Modern humans and Neanderthals split into separate lineages about 400,000 years ago, with our ancestors remaining in Africa and Neanderthals moving north into Europe. About 60,000 years ago, the exodus of modern humans from Africa gave rise to the two species in parallel, and of course the interbreeding of both - modern humans of non-African heritage carry 1-4% of Neanderthal DNA.
But 30,000 years ago, our ancient cousins disappeared as a distinct species, and the question of how we outperformed Neanderthals remained a puzzle.
Professor Laurent Nguyen, of the University of Liège, who was not involved in the latest research in this regard, said: "One of the concrete facts is that wherever Homo sapiens goes, it will essentially outperform other species." Men [Neanderthals] were in Europe long before us and could have adapted to their environment including pathogens. The big question is why would we compete with them?!"
Some argue that our ancestors had an intellectual advantage, but until recently there was no way to scientifically test the hypothesis. This perception changed in the past decade when scientists succeeded in tracing Neanderthal DNA through a fossilized finger found in a Siberian cave; This paved the way for new insights into how Neanderthal biology differed from Neanderthal biology.
Recent experiments focus on a gene called TKTL1, which is involved in the production of neurons in the developing brain. When introduced into mice, the scientists found that the Neanderthal variant produced fewer neurons, particularly in the brain's frontal lobe; This is where most cognitive functions are located. The scientists also tested the gene's effect in rodents and blobs of lab-grown tissue, called organelles, that replicate basic structures of the developing brain.
In this regard, Anlene Benson said; The study's lead author: "This shows us that although we don't know how many neurons a Neanderthal brain has, we can assume that modern humans have a higher number of neurons in the brain's frontal lobe, where [gene] activity is higher than Neanderthals."
Chris Stringer described; Head of Human Origins Research at the Natural History Museum in London, called the study "groundbreaking", saying he was beginning to tackle one of the central mysteries of human evolution - why, with all of the previous diversity of humans, they are now the only ones left.
"Finally, this provides evidence as to why our brains were superior to those of Neanderthals," he added.
But Professor Laurent Nguyen, from the University of Liège, points out that this latest study is far from conclusive evidence of the superiority of modern human intelligence, but it does show that Neanderthals had significant differences in brain development. and "This is an interesting story." According to him.
He states that more neurons does not automatically mean a more intelligent species, although it dictates the brain's basic computing power, as human brains contain twice as many neurons as chimpanzees and bonobos.
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