Did Gene Mutations Give Rise to Human Thought? -A Galaxy Insight
Although humans and chimpanzees genetically vary by just 1.2 percent, that small percentage makes a world of difference in the mental and linguistic capabilities between the two species. A study shows that a certain form of neuropsin, a protein that plays a role in learning and memory, is expressed only in the central nervous systems of humans. The scientists conclude that this critical difference originated less than 5 million years ago.
Dr. Bing Su of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, China, and other researchers analyzed the DNA of humans and several species of apes and monkeys. Previously they had found that type II neuropsin, a longer form of the protein, is not expressed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of lesser apes and Old World monkeys.
In the new study, they tested the expression of type II in the PFC of two great ape species, chimpanzees and orangutans, and found that it was not present in these closely related species either. Since these two species diverged most recently from human ancestors (about 5 and 14 million years ago respectively), this finding demonstrates that type II is a human-specific mutation and originated relatively recently.
The researchers note that more studies should look further into the biological function of type II neuropsin in humans, in order to understand the genetic basis that underlies the traits that set humans apart from nonhuman primates.
*The study was published online in Human Mutation, the official journal of the Human Genome Variation Society.
Posted by Rebecca Sato
Hmm... should we engineer a chimp with type II neuropsin and see what happens? For Science!
Posted by: John | June 17, 2009 at 12:48 PM
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Posted by: Globalsewingmachine | June 17, 2009 at 08:17 PM
WHAT IS LIFE - WHAT GENERATES GENES?
All kinds of vibrations give rice to human thoughts through all 7 senses, which includes the spiritual way of sensing both the vibrations on the Earth and in Cosmos.
Vibrations in Cosmos create all life, starting with the smallest building elements as for instants the RNA and DNA.
Genes and their evolutions is a result of changing vibrations in the surroundings on the Earth and in the Cosmos.
The human evolution has nothing to do with the human brain affecting its own genes, but it have everything to do with the creative forces and vibrations on the Earth and in the Universe.
Thoughts are the human reaction on all these creative vibrations.
Natural Philosopher Ivar Nielsen - www.cosmology-unified.net
Posted by: Ivar Nielsen | June 18, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Good article ...........
Yes I agree that genetic differences alone cannot explain the main diffference between human thoughts and Apes thoughts.
IF by Thinking and Thoughts we LIMIT the definition to 'abstract thinking' and expressed-spoken language then the difference is major.
HOWEVER the thoughts are not only abstract and many mammals (not only primate monkeys) are infered to possess such capability.
I agree that some protein may be a main factor for Humans to develop-evolve to abstract thinking and expressed-spoken language.......but then what ????
Thoughts are also present in other living spacies on this planet...not abstract thoughts and not complemented by expressed-spoken language for sure...but still thoughts.
In my view of the 'intelligence' the 'presentation' in the strata of the brain preposed to thinking and reasoning is done by internal reasoning languages and is COMMON to many species...It is the 'representation' of our thoughts (i.e. the expressed-spoken language) that is rare on this planet and seems to belong only to us Human beings.
For which 'magics' we have developed an extraordinary ability to attribute-associate a meaning to the 'internal presentation' of our mind hence managing the 'representation' of our concepts and reasoning that again is recognizable in the natural language....is still a deep mistery......NOT resolved YET.....Unknown....PROTEINS ??? : MAY BE.
Good luck and regards to these researchers mentioned in the article.
Posted by: claudio | June 21, 2009 at 12:51 AM
perma thought?
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Posted by: johnny5 | June 22, 2009 at 11:10 AM