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Neuronal Functions

All articles tagged with #neuronal functions

science2 years ago•5 min saved

The Deleted Genes That Changed Human Evolution Forever

Humans lost around 10,000 fragments of genetic information over evolutionary history, which differentiate us from our closest primate relatives, like chimpanzees. Some of these “deleted” fragments relate to neuronal and cognitive functions, including those involved in brain cell formation. These deletions, present in other mammals but absent in humans, became conserved across all humans, suggesting they provided a biological advantage. The team used Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRA) technology to screen and measure the function of thousands of genetic changes among species, contributing to our understanding of what makes humans unique.

via SciTechDaily|

#cognitive-functions #evolution #genetics

science3 years ago•3 min saved

The Missing Pieces: How Deleted Information Shaped Humanity.

Researchers at Yale and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have found that the loss of about 10,000 bits of genetic information in the human genome, which are present in the genomes of other mammals, differentiate humans from chimpanzees, our closest primate relative. Some of these "deleted" pieces of genetic information are closely related to genes involved in neuronal and cognitive functions, including one associated with the formation of cells in the developing brain. These genetic deletions became conserved in all humans, suggesting that they conferred some biological advantage and helped explain our bigger brains and complex cognition.

via Phys.org|

#cognitive-functions #evolution #genetic-deletions