The newly discovered gene that sets us apart from Neanderthals
Scientists believe this unique adaptation provided an evolutionary advantage. It enabled information sharing, coordinated activities, and knowledge transfer, setting us apart from extinct hominids like Neanderthals and Denisovans.
A study published in Nature Communications focuses on the NOVA1 protein, which is crucial for brain development.
Researchers used CRISPR technology to replace the mouse version of NOVA1 with the human variant.
The result: Altered vocalisations in the mice. Pups with the human variant squeaked differently when their mother approached, and adult males emitted distinct chirps in the presence of females.
Dr. Robert Darnell, an author of the study and a long-time researcher of NOVA1, believes this variant is among the genes that 'contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens as the dominant species'.
Liza Finestack of the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the study, agrees, calling it 'a good first step to start looking at the specific genes' influencing speech.
Future research building on these findings could potentially lead to breakthroughs in treating speech disorders.
This isn't the first time a gene has been linked to speech. In 2001, British scientists said they had discovered the first gene tied to a language and speech disorder.
Called FOXP2, it was referred to as the human language gene. But though FOXP2 is involved in human language, it turned out that the variant in modern humans wasn't unique to us. Later research found it was shared with Neanderthals.
The NOVA1 variant in modern humans, on the other hand, is found exclusively in our species, Darnell said.
The presence of a gene variant isn't the only reason people can speak. The ability also depends on things like anatomical features in the human throat and areas of the brain that work together to allow people to speak and understand language.
Dr Darnell hopes the recent work not only helps people better understand their origins but also eventually leads to new ways to treat speech-related problems.
Dr Finestack said it's more likely the genetic findings might someday allow scientists to detect, very early in life, who might need speech and language interventions.
'That's certainly a possibility,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
What to know about mRNA vaccines
So-called mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic — and now scientists are using that Nobel Prize-winning technology to try to develop vaccines and treatments against a long list of diseases including cancer and cystic fibrosis. But this week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, canceled $500 million in government-funded research projects to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses that might trigger another health emergency. That dismays infectious disease experts who note that mRNA allows faster production of shots than older vaccine-production methods, buying precious time if another pandemic were to emerge. Using older technology to target a pandemic flu strain would take 18 months to 'make enough vaccine to vaccinate only about one-fourth of the world," said Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, an expert on pandemic preparation. But using mRNA technology 'could change that dramatically, such that by the end of the first year, we could vaccinate the world.' How mRNA technology works Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses called proteins — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them. Injecting a small dose as a vaccine trains the body how to recognize when a real infection hits so it's ready to fight back. But that technology takes a long time. Using mRNA is a faster process. The 'm' stands for messenger, meaning mRNA carries instructions for our bodies to make proteins. Scientists figured out how to harness that natural process by making mRNA in a lab. They take a snippet of that genetic code that carries instructions for making the protein they want the vaccine to target. Injecting that snippet instructs the body to become its own mini-vaccine factory, making enough copies of the protein for the immune system to recognize and react. The COVID-19 vaccines aren't perfect Years of research show protection from COVID-19 vaccines — both the types made with mRNA and a type made with traditional technology — does wane over time. The vaccinations provide the strongest protection against severe infection and death, even if people still become infected. But that's a common feature with both the coronavirus and flu because both viruses continually mutate. That's the reason we're told to get a flu vaccine every year — using vaccines made with traditional methods, not mRNA. Today's COVID-19 vaccines made with mRNA by Pfizer and Moderna can be updated more quickly each year than traditional types, an advantage that now has multiple companies developing other vaccines using the technology. Traditional vaccines aren't the only use for mRNA Osterholm counts about 15 infectious disease vaccines that could benefit from mRNA technology, but that's not the only potential. Many disease therapies take aim at proteins, making mRNA a potential technique for developing new treatments. Researchers already are testing an mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine for pancreatic cancer. Genetic diseases are another target, such as an experimental inhaled therapy for cystic fibrosis. ___ AP video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
STV News
12 hours ago
- STV News
UK scientists criticise US Health Department's $500m vaccine funding cut
A decision by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to cut $500 million in funding for vaccine development to fight respiratory viruses has drawn international criticism. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a longtime vaccine critic, announced that 22 projects to develop vaccines using mRNA technology would end and be replaced with 'broader vaccine strategies'. The mRNA technology is used in approved Covid-19 and RSV shots and was crucial to ending the pandemic. The move has come under fire around the world, with infectious disease experts saying it will make future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA. Mike Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, described it as one of the most 'dangerous' decisions in public health in half a century. A scientist works on the Moderna coronavirus vaccine in 2020. / Credit: PA While some vaccines use a weakened or inactivated piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, mRNA vaccines use a laboratory-created genetic code to inform cells how to make a protein to trigger the immune response. Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, including exploring its use in cancer immunotherapies. The health secretary criticised mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts. 'To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we're prioritising the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don't collapse when viruses mutate,' Kennedy said in the video. Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic Imperial College London's immunology professor Charles Bangham said mRNA vaccines had saved 'millions of lives in the Covid-19 pandemic'. 'They were not developed overnight, but were the culmination of over ten years of research by several groups,' he said. 'mRNA vaccines have two great advantages over other types of vaccine: a vaccine against a new variant virus can be produced in large quantities very quickly, and they can quickly be adapted to contain a combination of mRNAs, to give protection against several variants simultaneously. 'mRNA vaccines should continue to be developed, because new and existing infections will continue to be one of the greatest challenges to health and health systems.' Great Ormond Street Hospital's consultant Dr David Elliman said the decision was a 'worrying development'. 'This has implications, not only for vaccination programmes in USA, but around the world,' Dr David Elliman said. 'At a time when vaccination rates are falling globally, we need to follow the evidence, not ideologically led beliefs. 'Such misguided beliefs are likely to cause unnecessary suffering and death, particularly in children.' Kennedy's decision to terminate the mRNA projects is the latest in a string of anti-vaccine decisions, including pulling back recommendations around the Covid-19 shots, firing the panel that made vaccine recommendations and refusing to endorse vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened. In May, HHS also terminated a $590 million contract with Modern to develop a vaccine to protect against bird flu. 'Let me be absolutely clear, HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them,' Kennedy said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
12 hours ago
- ITV News
'Dangerous decision': UK scientists criticise US Health Department's $500m vaccine funding cut
A decision by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to cut $500 million in funding for vaccine development to fight respiratory viruses has drawn international criticism. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a longtime vaccine critic, announced that 22 projects to develop vaccines using mRNA technology would end and be replaced with "broader vaccine strategies". The mRNA technology is used in approved Covid-19 and RSV shots and was crucial to ending the pandemic. The move has come under fire around the world, with infectious disease experts saying it will make future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA. Mike Osterholm, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, described it as one of the most "dangerous" decisions in public health in half a century. While some vaccines use a weakened or inactivated piece of the virus to trigger an immune response, mRNA vaccines use a laboratory-created genetic code to inform cells how to make a protein to trigger the immune response. Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, including exploring its use in cancer immunotherapies. The health secretary criticised mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts. 'To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we're prioritising the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don't collapse when viruses mutate," Kennedy said in the video. Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic Imperial College London's immunology professor Charles Bangham said mRNA vaccines had saved "millions of lives in the Covid-19 pandemic". "They were not developed overnight, but were the culmination of over ten years of research by several groups," he said. "mRNA vaccines have two great advantages over other types of vaccine: a vaccine against a new variant virus can be produced in large quantities very quickly, and they can quickly be adapted to contain a combination of mRNAs, to give protection against several variants simultaneously. 'mRNA vaccines should continue to be developed, because new and existing infections will continue to be one of the greatest challenges to health and health systems." Great Ormond Street Hospital's consultant Dr David Elliman said the decision was a "worrying development". "This has implications, not only for vaccination programmes in USA, but around the world," Dr David Elliman said. "At a time when vaccination rates are falling globally, we need to follow the evidence, not ideologically led beliefs. "Such misguided beliefs are likely to cause unnecessary suffering and death, particularly in children." Kennedy's decision to terminate the mRNA projects is the latest in a string of anti-vaccine decisions, including pulling back recommendations around the Covid-19 shots, firing the panel that made vaccine recommendations and refusing to endorse vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened. In May, HHS also terminated a $590 million contract with Modern to develop a vaccine to protect against bird flu. 'Let me be absolutely clear, HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them," Kennedy said.
