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The evolution of the human brain
The evolution of the human brain
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Over time, the human brain has evolved into an amazing organ of the human body. It can store a lot of information that is essential to the survival of the human race, and being successful in life. The brain has evolved and grown, it has always been hard to figure out what caused the growth and development. Microcephalin and the abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated, or ASPM, proteins are the genes that are responsible for brain size and development, and are responsible for the mutations observed in affected individuals that result in truncated gene products.
Among all of the mammals, humans have an exceptionally big brain relative to their body size. The ASPM gene is proven to be an important genetic component in the evolutionary expansion of the human brain. Evidence has shown that the ASPM gene appears to have undergone positive selection a long time ago. It is really difficult to estimate when the ASPM gene could have undergone positive selection, but it has been estimated around the time the human brain had started to expand, which was between .2 million years ago and .4 million years ago. Recent studies have shown that the ASPM gene is not undergoing positive selection right now (Zhang).
An alternative explanation for positive selection on ASPM relates to its role in the proliferation of germ cells. It has been proposed by many scientists that the ASPM gene could be under sexual selection acting on sperm development or function. However, there is no association between ASPM and relative testis size across anthropoids. There is little evidence that shows that this type of selection is possible though. It is possible that the association between the evolutionary rate of loci with brain evolution, or the evolution of ...
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... Ganeshwaran H. Mochida, John I. Risinger, Paul Goldsmith, Michelle Gunsior, Greg Solomon, William Gersch, Jung-Hyun Kim, J. Carl Barrett, Christopher A. Walsh, Jerzy Jurka, Hiroshi Masumoto, and Vladimir Larionov. "The Microcephaly ASPM Gene Is Expressed in Proliferating Tissues and Encodes for a Mitotic Spindle Protein." 14.15 (2005): 2155-165. 22 June 2005. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Montgomery, Stephen H., and Nicholas I. Mundy. "EVOLUTION OF ASPM IS ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH INCREASES AND DECREASES IN BRAIN SIZE IN PRIMATES." 66.3 (2011): 927-32. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Wang, Yin-qiu, and Bing Su. "Molecular Evolution of Microcephalin, a Gene Determining Human Brain Size." 13.11 (2004): n. pag. 2004. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Zhang, Jianzhi. "Evolution of the Human ASPM Gene, a Major Determinant of Brain Size." (2003): n. pag. Genetics Society of America, 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Paabo’s team discovered an mtDNA sequence from a finger bone they found from around 40,000 years ago, as carbon dating is one of the most commonly used methods of determining a fossil’s age. (Hammer, 70). Also, Neanderthal mtDNA is differs severely from modern human mtDNA. For example, Microcephalin is a gene for brain size during the development of the organism.
"Human Evolution: Hobbit Small, But Not Stunted." Nature 482.7384 (2012): 135. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Noe, R. A., Hollenback, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human
The MECP2 gene makes a protein, also called MECP2, believed to play a pivotal role in silencing, turning off or regulating the activity of other genes. The MECP2 mutation (change in the gene) causes the turn-off/regulatory mechanism to fail, allowing other genes to function abnormally(Rett Syndrome - NORD). Rett syndrome is a genetic disorder of developmental failure of brain maturation. This is thought to occur when subsets of neurons and their connections are disrupted during a dynamic phase of brain development. This deviation occurs at the end of pregnancy or in the first few months of life during the critical phases of synapse development. How mutations in MeCP2 lead to Retts is not well understood but is the focus of intense research.
-Reilly Philip. Is It In Your Genes. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 2004: 223-228. Print
Reinis, Stanislaw and Jerome M. Goldman. The Development of the Brain. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publishers, 1980.
Reinis, Stanislaw and Jerome M. Goldman. The Development of the Brain. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publishers, 1980.
It has been proven that a child’s early years are the peak at which the mind can bend and shape, creating the foundation for a life. We know now that even before birth, the mind is a delicate matter that if improperly taken care of could alter a person’s entire life. Nourishment and stimulation before and after the birth of a child mold’s the brain in its most malleable state. Medical and scientific institutes paired with parenting information organizations have made information readily available for parents, childcare providers, and students to advise them of the importance of childhood brain development. This information is not only critical for the child, but for the person they will become in the future.
Encephalization is a relationship between brain mass and total body mass of an organism. Biologists often use the encephalization quotient (EQ) value, the relative size of a brain given an organism’s body mass, to gauge species’ intelligence. Humans have an average EQ of 7.44 and this is the highest EQ value of all known species (Kinser 2012). Chimpanzees and elephants, which are considered to be among the most intelligent species, have EQ values of 2.49 and 1.87, respectively. Bottlenose dolphins have the second highest EQ values of any species with an average EQ of 5.31 (Kinser 2012). Orcas have an EQ value of about 2.5 and larger cetaceans have ...
World Archaeology, 31:3:329-350. Mitani, J.C. et al 1996 Sexual Dimorphism, the Operational Sex Ratio, and the Intensity of Male Competition in Polygamous Primates. The American Naturalist, 147:6:966-980. Rogers, Alan R. and Arindam Mukherjee 1992 Quantitative Genetics of Sexual Dimorphism in Human Body Size.
One of the most important and pivotal physical and biological adaptations that separate humans from other mammals is habitual bipedalism. According to Darwin, as restated by Daniel Lieberman, “It was bipedalism rather than big brains, language, or tool use that first set th...
The members of the Homo genus possess a combination of unique features that distinguish them from other related species. At the time that each respective species was alive, they were able to walk upright on two legs, use their large brains for the benefit of their species, and could thrive in many geographically and climatically diverse areas of the world. One of the most mysterious quandaries in science is how the lineage of the Homo genus became so different from their primate relatives. Bipedalism, brain size, and location diversity all have a common link that may explain this difference – dietary evolution allowed humans to adapt to their surroundings, and in turn, become a more advanced species. The Homo diet evolved in relation to food availability and nutritional necessity. With the ability to maintain a proper diet, the species of the Homo genus were able to flourish and advance toward the development of modern Homo sapiens.
Grysman, A. (2012). Evolution of the Brain[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences Online Course site: rutgersonline.net.
R. L. Paul, M. M. (1972). The Species of the Brain Research, 1-19. pp. 113-117. S. A. Clark, T. A.
The human body is divided into many different parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain weighs about 2. 75 pounds, and has a whitish-pink appearance. The brain is made up of many cells, and is the control centre of the body. The brain flashes messages out to all the other parts of the body.