
Rapidly evolving bits of DNA helped develop the human brain
2 September 2021
Some sections of the human genome have changed quickly during our evolution, and hundreds of them seem to be involved in the development of our brains

2 September 2021
Some sections of the human genome have changed quickly during our evolution, and hundreds of them seem to be involved in the development of our brains

9 October 2018
For much of human evolution our ancestors may have encountered only a few hundred people in their lives – but we can each recall about 5000 distinct faces

24 May 2018
Some chimpanzee populations gained useful DNA from interbreeding with bonobos, and one may even have become more gentle and “bonobo-like” in its brain structure and behaviour

23 May 2018
Many scientists think that our big brains evolved to help us cope with the complexities of social living, but a model suggests it was more to do with finding food and lighting fires

23 May 2018
About 3 billion people speak Indo-European languages like English and Hindustani, and it seems the first such tongue was spoken south of the Caucasus mountains

3 May 2018
A gene variant that helps humans cope with colder climates also seems to have put people living in northerly regions at a higher risk of migraine

28 February 2018
It’s an evolutionary mystery how humans and other primates found the energy to support their large brains, but now it seems sacrificing some muscle might have helped

23 November 2017
Two “thinking” regions of human brains are much richer in a neurotransmitter called dopamine than the equivalent brain regions in apes and monkeys