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Genetic Mutations Allowed Humans To Be Artistic

Posted by Hemos on from the changing-the-playing-field dept.

Makarand writes "Most anthropologists believe that the transformations which allowed humans to think and behave in a recognisably modern fashion happened gradually and were a result of demographic and cultural changes. However, according to an expert on human origins at Stanford University these transformations have a biological explanation and were not gradual. According to his theory 50,000 years ago genetic mutations resulted in a creativity gene that led to the development of the modern mind and started a cultural revolution by triggering biological changes in the brain and vastly improving the human ability to communicate. Evidence in support of such a theory has been found in the form of FOXP2, a gene proven to affect the ability of learning and processing language and which in its mutated form can result in speech and language impediments. Also, the human FOXP2 differs only slightly from similar genes in chimpanzees, mice and other animals."

11 of 414 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    No wonder my army of monkeys haven't been writing anything worthwhile

    http://www.detroitluv.com

  2. Funniest talk.origins joke evar!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    A guy goes to a zoo and sees a gorilla with two books. The gorilla looks confused. One of the books is the Bible, the other Darwin. The guy asks the gorilla why he looks confused. The gorilla says "I can't figure out if I'm my brother's keeper or my keeper's brother!"

  3. Breaking news! by borgdows · · Score: 4, Funny

    RIAA is trying to patent the 'artistic gene' !

    1. Re:Breaking news! by mericet · · Score: 3, Funny

      I hardly think RIAA is even remotly interested in anything artistic. Maybe they would do it to kill off all private labels though.

      --
      http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html
  4. it's language you moron by the_pooh_experience · · Score: 3, Funny
    best quote of the article:

    A study last year indicated that FOXP2 evolved "some time between last Tuesday and 200,000 years ago"

    no... really.

  5. In related news... by TrixX · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...a black monolith of 1x4x9 dimensions has been found in Africa.

  6. Creative mutants? by Garg · · Score: 3, Funny

    The newest X-Man... Kreativ!

    With the power to think outside the box!

    Garg

    --
    Garg
    Alumnus, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
  7. Patent it! by The_Mutato · · Score: 3, Funny

    You can patent the gene and sue everybody on earth for copying it! Except for all the pop bands out there, that is...

  8. Fitted? by two_ply · · Score: 3, Funny
    From the article: Biological explanations had normally been rejected in the past, but actually fitted much better with the known facts. "I think there was a biological change -- a genetic mutation of some kind that promoted the fully modern ability to create and innovate."

    Methinks that a dictionary could have fitted much gooder in that hands of the editor who readed the story...

    And in a story about a language gene... i.r.o.n.y.

  9. Cats must have it too then. by tjwhaynes · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cats are pretty creative. Not only can they persuade you to part with a significant portion of the food on your plate, they insinuate themselves to the point of displacing you from your favourite chair. And then, just to rub salt in the wounds a little more, they also paint and dance.

    Cheers,

    Toby Haynes

    P.S. I have no connection to these books/websites but I did fall off my chair laughing the first time I saw the website :-)

    --
    Anything I post is strictly my own thoughts and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the opinions of IBM.
  10. Re:Um... by BlueGecko · · Score: 3, Funny
    It's not like a bunch of neanderthals were sitting around a fire and then Bob Dylan popped out.
    So you have an alternate explanation of how he got that way? :)