Stay Curious

SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AND UNLOCK ONE MORE ARTICLE FOR FREE.

Sign Up

VIEW OUR Privacy Policy


Discover Magazine Logo

WANT MORE? KEEP READING FOR AS LOW AS $1.99!

Subscribe

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

FIND MY SUBSCRIPTION
Advertisement

Fastest evolving gene gives us big brains?

Discover the fastest evolving human gene and its implications on human population genetics and evolution from primates.

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Many people have posted on this, so I'm going to give a quick link round up. I linked it early, and then Kawfee Mugg posted a follow up on my other weblog. John-too-good-for-10-assertions then offered up his commentary, and then RPM kicked in his 3 cents. He pointed me to Carl Zimmer's smackdown on the issue. I think the insight this gives us is similar to FOXP2, yes, we are a lot like other animals (whether it is 98% identity to chimp or not is irrelevant), but, in some ways we are a special breed all our own (i.e., in this case, a lot more evolution seems to have occurred on the human lineage out from others primates than across all other mammals). This should also clue us in to the possible future of human population genetics: we are mostly the same, but in significant ways we will probably differ.

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe
Advertisement

0 Free Articles