Mankind
Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Fall 2002)
pp. 111-113
Intraspecific Variation in Gene
Expression Patterns in the Brains of Homo sapiens.
Implications of Pääbö's Findings for
Group Cognitive Differences.
John Foster
It has been suggested that an apparent contradiction
posed by the very similar genomes of humans and chimpanzees
and the marked morphological and cognitive differences
between these two species, might be resolved by differences
in the rates of expression of identical genes. Now,
research reported in Science from the Max-Planck Institute
for Evolutionary Anthropology at Leipzig, using DNA
microarray technology, shows substantial differences
in the rates of gene expression found in the brains
of humans and chimps at autopsy. Individual differences
in rates of gene expression were also reported among
brains of human subjects. It has long been necessary
to resolve the contrast between the very similar genomes
and the well-documented cognitive differences found
among regionally identified human populations. Are
there group average differences in rates of brain
gene expression related to cognitive differences among
human populations? This question would appear to be
researchable using the methodology reported from Leipzig.
