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A mini-brain from the Neanderthal gene

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A miniature brain grown in the laboratory to have a variant of a Neanderthal gene helps to understand how the separation with the Sapiens occurred, starting the brain development and modern man. The research is published in the journal Science by the University of California at San Diego group, coordinated by Cleber Trujillo e Alysson Muotri.

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The authors of the research studied, in particular, a variant of the Neanderthal Nova1 gene, an archaic gene that plays a key role in brain development. They isolated it and, using the Nobel cut-and-paste DNA technique (Crispr-Cas9), introduced it into human stem cells which in the laboratory they then developed into a miniature (organoid) reproduction of the cerebral cortex.

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In this way it became possible to observe how the archaic Neanderthal gene influences human brain development. The mini-organs grown in the laboratory with the addition of the Neanderthal gene show a different appearance from those not genetically modified, and a different way of forming connections between neurons through the synapses.

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“It is fascinating – explains Muotri – to observe how a single gene can affect brain development. We do not know exactly how and when these changes occurred in our evolutionary history, but studies of this type – adds the expert – could help to understand some of the capabilities. modern man related to social behavior, language, adaptation, creativity and use of technology. The next step – he concludes – will also be to study the effect on brain development of 60 other genes, individually or combined, which differ among Neanderthals and the Sapiens “.

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