The Gene That Made Mice Squeak Strangely explores the challenge of understanding the evolution of human language. Referencing this study, researchers discovered a specific gene, named NOVA1, developed significantly between 250,000 and 500,000 years ago. Scientists then took that human version of NOVA1 and put it into mice. What did they discover? The mice then made more complex sounds.
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| Imaging of a mouse's brain, where the cells producing NOVA1proteins are colored green. |
I find the most intriguing part of this research to be that out of 20,000 protein-coding genes, almost all produced proteins that were identical in most mammals. There were only 23 of these that were identical in mammals except for human beings. That's 0.115%. NOVA1 gained attention for being one of those 23. While it certainly is important to note, it's not a single gene that allowed us to develop the language abilities we have now, but many mutations over millions of years.
What is also fascinating about the NOVA1 gene is mammalian life appears dependent on its presence. A mouse without it is not viable, but there was little to show it played any significant role in our evolution.
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