Fastest-Evolving Human Gene Linked to Brain Boost

The fastest evolving gene in the human genome is one linked to brain development, researchers say.

A study of differences between the human and chimp genomes has identified a gene associated with neural growth in the cerebral cortex – the part of the brain involved in processing thoughts and learning – as having undergone accelerated evolutionary change.

Katherine Pollard and colleagues at the University of California Santa Cruz, US, suggest that the fast-changing gene may help explain the dramatic expansion of this part of the brain during the evolution of humans.