The Gene That Made Mice Squeak Strangely
Scientists have always wondered how language developed and came to be. A study conducted in February 2025 revealed that approximately 250,000 to 500,000 years ago, a gene called NOVA1 underwent an evolutionary change in the population of that time. NOVA1 is an RNA-binding protein found in the central nervous system that is crucial for function and brain development. Erich Jarvis, who is a neuroscientist and also a co-author in the study, stated that the NOVA1 gene by itself did not cause the language change, but it is also due to the mutation of numerous genes. NOVA1 first caught the eye of scientists in 2012, when it was first mentioned on a special list of genes that made proteins that were the same in most mammals but were made differently in humans.
The biological effects of 1197v in NOVA1 were investigated by examining NOVA1, which is found in humans in mice. When they did that, the mice started to make complex noises.
They did this to spot molecular changes in the regions of the brain, specifically regions that are related to vocal behavior and that can recognize changes in vocal patterns in baby mice and adult mice. These results found that when humans were evolving, the 1197v substitution in the NOVA1 gene protein could have played a role in the growth of neural systems that are involved in vocal communication.
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