When it comes to mankind, we always focus on our capabilities and extra features. But now a new study suggests that genetic deficiencies in our species may be what make modern humans such an advanced creature.
In a new study, researchers from Yale University, MIT and Harvard have investigated the differences in the human genome compared to other primates. They found that Missing 10,000 pieces of genetic information Most of them are as small as a few single DNA pairs, making humans distinct from our closest primates, chimpanzees.
This missing information, some of which are related to Neuronal and cognitive functions including in the development of the brain, they are common to all humans. Researchers say that the absence of these genetic fragments represents some of our biological advantages over other organisms.
Deletion of part of the genome has played an important role in human evolution
“We often assume that biological functions must be related to new pieces of DNA, but this study shows that Removal of the genetic code “It can lead to important consequences in our characteristics and make our species unique.”
Riley explains how removing genetic information is similar to removing letters from a word. For example, by removing the letter “n” from the word “not to be” it can be changed to “to become”.
Researchers to investigate and measure the performance of thousands of genetic changes in different subjects of the tool MPRA used, which has a very high ability to observe the activity of multiple genetic sequences. “These tools have the potential to allow us to identify many of the small molecular building blocks in the body that make the human species unique,” says Riley.
This research, the results of which were published in the journal Science, is a part of the Zoonomia project, which tries to obtain more information about the evolution of mammals and, in this way, create new medicines for humans and protect endangered species.
