primate brain

More than 5 million years ago, the evolutionary path of humans split from that of other primates. And now – after a mere 25 years of intensive research – scientists in Dresden, Germany have identified the gene responsible for creating this divergence and leading the human brain to become the most complex structure in the known Universe.

The gene, which is known as ARHGAP11B, is a modified version of a common DNA strand that is found in yeast as well as mice. The modification is evidently responsible for the proliferation of neurons in the neocortex.
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