Evolution: Lab-grown ‘mini brains’ suggest one mutation might have rewired the human mind

How we humans became what we are today is a question that scientists have been trying to answer for a long time. How did we evolve such advanced cognitive abilities, giving rise to complex language, poetry and rocket science? In what way is the modern human brain different from those of our closest evolutionary relatives, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans?

Research has also shown that humans and Neanderthals interbred, and that Neanderthals were a lot more sophisticated than previously thought. Still, in specific regions, there are gene variants exclusively carried by modern humans. These human-specific DNA regions may be responsible for traits that separate our species from our extinct relatives. By understanding how these genes work, we can therefore learn about the traits that are unique to modern humans.

They did this by growing mini brains – which are known scientifically as “organoids” – from stem cells derived from skin. Brain organoids aren’t conscious in the way we are – they are very simple and do not reach sizes larger than around five or six millimetres, due to a lack of blood supply. But they can emit brainwaves and grow relatively complex neural networks that respond to light.

The engineered organoids displayed several differences. They expanded more slowly than the human organoids and had altered formation of connections between neurons. They were also smaller and had rough, complex surfaces compared to the smooth and spherical modern human organoids.The study identified 61 genes that are different between modern and archaic humans. One of these genes is NOVA1, which has an essential role in regulating other genes’ activity during early brain development.

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