American scientists from Rockefeller University have discovered a genetic variant that may be the key to understanding how humans developed the ability to speak in complex ways.
The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications (NatComms).
The team discovered a unique human variant of a special protein called NOVA1 that is different from similar proteins in both animals and related species, including Neanderthals and Denisovans.
NOVA1 is an RNA-binding protein that plays an important role in the development of the nervous system. In humans, it has a unique amino acid substitution (I197V) that is absent from other primates and archaic humans.
The researchers used CRISPR technology to replace the regular NOVA1 protein in mice with the human variant. As a result, the rodents changed the vocal signals they use to communicate.
“This gene may be part of a larger evolutionary change that made language possible in early modern humans,” said Robert Darnell, who led the study.
The scientists also analyzed the genomes of Neanderthals, Denisovans, and modern humans. It turned out that archaic humans had the same NOVA1 variant as other animals, while modern humans have a unique version that dominates.
This suggests that this variant emerged in the ancestors of modern humans in Africa and began to spread as they migrated across the planet.
