Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Brain Evolution at a Distance
It is that RNA computational layer once again...
"Scientists and philosophers alike have long grasped for the essence that makes humans human, and one answer lies in the brain. Specifically, human brains express genes in different patterns than those of related species, but what causes those changes is unknown. Comparing gene expression in three primate species—human, chimpanzee, and the rhesus macaque—across post-natal development, researchers, publishing today (December 6) in PLoS Biology, found that the most drastic expression changes are found in genes that are controlled at a distance by trans regulators, instead of locally by cis regulators." News artcle @ The Scientist
M. Somel et al., “MicroRNA-driven developmental remodeling in the brain distinguishes humans from other primates,” PLoS Biology, 9: e1001214, 2011.
"Scientists and philosophers alike have long grasped for the essence that makes humans human, and one answer lies in the brain. Specifically, human brains express genes in different patterns than those of related species, but what causes those changes is unknown. Comparing gene expression in three primate species—human, chimpanzee, and the rhesus macaque—across post-natal development, researchers, publishing today (December 6) in PLoS Biology, found that the most drastic expression changes are found in genes that are controlled at a distance by trans regulators, instead of locally by cis regulators." News artcle @ The Scientist
M. Somel et al., “MicroRNA-driven developmental remodeling in the brain distinguishes humans from other primates,” PLoS Biology, 9: e1001214, 2011.
Labels: cognitive science, evolution, RNA
