Microcephalin, a Gene Regulating Brain Size, Continues to Evolve Adaptively in Humans

@article{Evans2005MicrocephalinAG,
  title={Microcephalin, a Gene Regulating Brain Size, Continues to Evolve Adaptively in Humans},
  author={P. Evans and S. L. Gilbert and N. Mekel-Bobrov and E. Vallender and Jeffrey R. Anderson and Leila M. Vaez-Azizi and S. Tishkoff and R. Hudson and B. Lahn},
  journal={Science},
  year={2005},
  volume={309},
  pages={1717 - 1720}
}
The gene Microcephalin (MCPH1) regulates brain size and has evolved under strong positive selection in the human evolutionary lineage. We show that one genetic variant of Microcephalin in modern humans, which arose ∼37,000 years ago, increased in frequency too rapidly to be compatible with neutral drift. This indicates that it has spread under strong positive selection, although the exact nature of the selection is unknown. The finding that an important brain gene has continued to evolve… Expand
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Comment on "Ongoing Adaptive Evolution of ASPM, a Brain Size Determinant in Homo sapiens" and "Microcephalin, a Gene Regulating Brain Size, Continues to Evolve Adaptively in Humans"
The ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM and Microcephalin is not explained by increased intelligence.
Molecular evolution of the brain size regulator genes CDK5RAP2 and CENPJ.
Cytoskeletal genes regulating brain size.
Normal variants of Microcephalin and ASPM do not account for brain size variability.
Response to Comment on "Ongoing Adaptive Evolution of ASPM, a Brain Size Determinant in Homo sapiens" and "Microcephalin, a Gene Regulating Brain Size, Continues to Evolve Adaptively in Humans"
MCPH , a disorder of neurogenic mitosis affecting foetal brain growth
Primary microcephaly: do all roads lead to Rome?
Molecular evolutionary analysis of human primary microcephaly genes
Detecting positive darwinian selection in brain-expressed genes during human evolution
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References

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