In a play to figure out exactly how neandertal brains differed from our own , scientist are plan on growing mini Neanderthal wit in the lab .
The work is being hold out by a team of researcher at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig , Germany , who have been implemental in sequencing the genome of ancient human species . They now plan on research the cognitive power of Neanderthals by growing mini mastermind , The Guardian reports .
While all people from outside of Africa already containa portion of Neanderthal DNA – typically around 2 percent but in some citizenry as much as 6 percent – the scientist work on this later project are wanting to genetically engineer human stem cells so that they contain the Neanderthal reading of specific factor .
They will then coax the stem cell to develop into mini brains , known more properly as organoids . Grown to around the sizing of a lentil , the little bits of tissue paper could then help oneself the researcher determine for the first time whether there are any pregnant differences between the functioning of modern human and neandertal brains .
For almost as long as we have known about Neanderthals , the debate has raged about their cognitive power . For much of the twentieth century , it was assumed that the heavy - browed , cave - dwelling hominins were not peculiarly bright , with the Son Neanderthal even becoming synonymous with “ dense - witted ” .
But over the last decennary or so , there has been a slow but steady change in opinion . While archeologist once think that Neanderthals were not clever enough to be originative , grounds now suggests that they painted their consistency , crafted headdresses , and potentially even daub caveswith incredible artworklong before modern humans place base in Europe . Not only this , but burials imply that they may havehad ritualistic feeling , and possibly even religious belief .
This a la mode workplace forms part of a series coming out of the science laboratory of Professor Svante Pääbo , who was one of the primary player in decoding the very first Neanderthal genome in 2009 . The team have already inserted genes that are thought to have been involved in the facial growth of Neanderthals into mouse , and those connect to swinish pain percept into frog eggs .
Now they want to see if they can shed light source on Neanderthal cognition . The team be after on looking at basic differences that can be observed between modern human and oafish neurons in the developing organoids , to try and calculate out if their functioning could explain why we as a species seem to be “ cognitively so special , ” Pääbo toldThe Guardian .
Of course , they might also obtain out that we ’re not .
