Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Kevin Dorner · 08-14-2002, 08:48 PM

Quote:

... the mutations in FOXP2 apparently changed the shape of the relevant protein in a way that somehow permitted greater complexity in the parts of the brain controlling movement of the face, throat and voice box.

Scientists located the gene by studying 16 people in Britain, including 15 members of one large family, who have profound speech defects. It turned out all of them had inherited a defective version of the FOXP2 gene, pointing to a critical role in speech for the normal version...

...several lines of evidence suggesting that the FOXP2 mutations that distinguish humans from chimpanzees occurred quite recently in evolution -- and then spread rapidly, entirely replacing more primitive versions of the gene within 500 to 1,000 human generations, or 10,000 to 20,000 years.

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17863-2002Aug14.html" target="_blank">Gene Mutations Linked to Language Development</a>

Edit: Here's the same story from a UK paper: <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$YH0UJYSX0WFADQFIQMGSFF4AVCBQ WIV0?xml=/news/2002/08/15/ngene15.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/08/15/ixhome.html&_requestid=73539" target="_blank">Mutated gene gave power of speech</a>

A more detailed version from the Reuters wire: <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=2&u=/nm/20020814/hl_nm/speech_apes_dc_1" target="_blank">Apes Lack Gene for Speech, Study Finds</a>

[ August 14, 2002: Message edited by: Kevin Dorner ]</p>

RufusAtticus · 08-14-2002, 08:59 PM

I'm reading the paper right now.

Kevin Dorner · 08-14-2002, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RufusAtticus:
<strong>I'm reading the paper right now.</strong>

I would take it that this would be the real paper and not a media-digested form.

The WP article indicated that it ws "published online" but I expect with subscription requirement, and is still due for Nature publication.

RufusAtticus · 08-14-2002, 10:10 PM

It's convient to have an advisor with a Nature Account.

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08-14-2002, 08:59 PM	#2
RufusAtticus Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NCSU Posts: 5,853	I'm reading the paper right now.

08-14-2002, 10:10 PM	#4
RufusAtticus Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NCSU Posts: 5,853	It's convient to have an advisor with a Nature Account.

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