"Junk DNA" causes brain differences between humans and chimpanzees

Chimpanzee
.
Image credit: Abeselom Zerit / stock.

Recently, stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden discovered that the previously neglected part of DNA, the so-called non-coding DNA, caused the difference between humans and chimpanzees
.
This discovery explains why our brains work differently

Researchers did not directly study living humans and chimpanzees, but did research by culturing stem cells in the laboratory
.
They reprogrammed the skin cells to obtain stem cells, and then specifically cultivated human and chimpanzee brain cells through stem cells, and compared the two cell types

Subsequently, the researchers discovered that a previously neglected piece of DNA seemed to play a considerable role in the development of the brain
.
This fragment is a long string of repetitive DNA that was previously labeled as "junk DNA" and has long been considered to have no function

Research leader Johan Jakobsson, professor of neuroscience at Lund University, said that the study shows that the developmental mechanism of the brain may be hidden in this segment
.

"The evolution of the human brain is based on genetic mechanisms, which may be much more complicated than
previously thought.
Previously, people thought that the answer lies in the 2% of protein-coding DNA

It is worth mentioning that the stem cell technology used by researchers is revolutionary
.
This technology was recognized by the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Why do researchers want to investigate the differences between humans and chimpanzees? Jakobsson explained: "I believe that the brain is the key to understanding why humans are humans
.
How humans use their brains to build society, educate future generations and develop advanced technology is very fascinating

Jakobsson believes that in the future, these new discoveries may also help to answer genetic questions about mental illness, such as schizophrenia, which seems to only exist in humans
.

"But there is still a long way to go
.
To achieve this, it is not to further study 2% of the coding DNA, but may require a deep understanding of the entirety of DNA
.
This is a very complex research task
.
" He concluded
.
(Source: Xin Yu, China Science News)

Related paper information: https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
stem.
2021.
09.
008