Late Bloomers: "New" Genes May Have Played a Role in Human Brain Evolution
Friday, November 18, 2011 - 08:30
in Biology & Nature
Billions of years ago, organic chemicals in the primordial soup somehow organized themselves into the first organisms. A few years ago scientists found that something similar happens every once in awhile in the cells of all living things: bits of once-quiet stretches of DNA sometimes spontaneously assemble themselves into genes. Such "de novo" genes may go on to play significant roles in the evolution of individual organisms--even humans. But how many are there? [More]