“New” Genes May Have Played a Role in Human Brain Evolution

“New” Genes May Have Played a Role in Human Brain Evolution

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When an international team of researchers scanned the human genome for “de novo” genes, they putatively uncovered 60, three times more than once estimated. More surprising, many of these genes are active in the cerebral cortex, suggesting that de novo genes might have played a key role in the evolution of the human mind.