The Human Mutation
eldavojohn writes "Scientists in China have announced finding the gene that makes us human. The article explains that prior work has shown that humans, as compared with the great apes from which we diverged over 5 million years ago, have a longer form of a protein (type II neuropsin) located in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. From the article: 'Gene sequencing revealed a mutation specific to humans that triggers a change in the splicing pattern of the neuropsin gene, creating a new splicing site and a longer protein. Introducing this mutation into chimpanzee DNA resulted in the creation of type II neuropsin. "Hence, the human-specific mutation is not only necessary but also sufficient in creating the novel splice form," the authors state.' The team is urging further analysis of the extra 45 amino acids in type II neuropsin since they believe that chain may cause protein structural and functional changes. The research didn't link anything with this protein, simply identifying it as a very distinct difference between us and our closest cousins."
I for one, welcome our new english speaking tyrannical ape-like overlords.
Putting human brain genes in chimps, this is how it all starts. A thousand years from now some astronaut returning to earth is going to be saying "Get your hands off me, you damn dirty ape!"
The article explains that prior work has shown that humans, as compared with the great apes from which we diverged over 5 million years ago, have ...
Now that the prior work is already covered, the AACS can't copyright us.
You have 6bln more monkeys running around the Earth.
Great. Now someone will come up with a retrovirus or something that makes us all as dumb as Bush.
...is that your pets have been already eating it for two months!
Chip H.
We're all mutants? That can't be good...
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
They'll just find that it contains the 09 F9 number when the gene sequence has every two base pairs encoded as one hex digit. Then they'll sue everyone who has sex in the USA for "unauthorized trafficking" per the DMCA.
:)
The only good side of this is that, for once, Slashdotters will NOT be affected
Now, with the introduction of said protein, putting a hundred monkeys into a room with typewriters will indeed produce a work the likes of William Shakespear. Only now the chimps will each sue each other for infringing on each other's intellectual property.
(Score:2, Insightful)
That's it Mr. Moderator
Report to base camp. CmdTaco will read you the mod guide while the rest of us injects you with some neurospin