The study involved inserting a Neanderthal brain gene into mice, ferrets and “mini-brain” structures called organoids, grown in the lab from human stem cells. The experiments revealed that the Neanderthal version of the gene was linked to slower generation of neurons in the cerebral cortex during development, which scientists said could explain superior cognitive abilities in modern humans. “Making more neurons sets the stage for higher cognitive function,” said Wieland Huttner, who led the work at the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. “We believe this is the first compelling evidence that modern humans were cognitively better than Neanderthals.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Modern humans and Neanderthals split into separate lineages about 400,000 years ago, with our ancestors remaining in Africa and Neanderthals moving north to Europe. About 60,000 years ago, a mass migration of modern humans out of Africa brought the two species face to face once again and they interbred – modern humans of non-African heritage carry 1-4% of Neanderthal DNA. However, by 30,000 years ago, our ancient cousins had disappeared as a separate species, and the question of how we bested the Neanderthals remained a mystery. “A certain fact is that wherever homo sapiens went they would basically outcompete the other species there. It’s a bit strange,” said Professor Laurent Nguyen, from the University of Liege, who was not involved in the latest research. “These guys [Neanderthals] they were in Europe long before us and would have adapted to their environment, including pathogens. The big question is why we could beat them.” Some argue that our ancestors had a spiritual edge, but until recently there was no way to scientifically test the hypothesis. That changed in the last decade, when scientists successfully sequenced Neanderthal DNA from a fossilized finger found in a Siberian cave, opening the way to new insights into how Neanderthal biology differed from our own. The latest experiments focus on a gene, called TKTL1, involved in the production of neurons in the developing brain. The Neanderthal version of the gene differs by one letter from the human version. When introduced into mice, the scientists found that the Neanderthal variant led to the production of fewer neurons, particularly in the frontal lobe of the brain, where most cognitive functions are located. The scientists also tested the gene’s effect on ferrets and lab-grown blobs of tissue, called organoids, that replicate the basic structures of the developing brain. “This tells us that although we don’t know how many neurons the Neanderthal brain had, we can assume that modern humans have more neurons in the frontal lobe of the brain, where [the gene’s] The activity is higher than Neanderthals,” said Anneline Pinson, first author of the study. Chris Stringer, head of research into human origins at London’s Natural History Museum, described the work as “groundbreaking”, saying it tackled one of the central puzzles of human evolution – why, with all the past diversity of humans , are now the only ones left. “Ideas have come and gone – better tools, better weapons, proper language, art and symbolism, better brains,” Stringer said. “Finally, this provides a clue as to why our brains may have surpassed Neanderthal brains.” More neurons do not automatically equate to a smarter type of person, although they do dictate the basic computational ability of the brain. The human brain contains about twice as many neurons as the brains of chimpanzees and bonobos. Nguyen said the latest work is far from definitive proof of the superior intelligence of modern humans, but it does show that Neanderthals had significant differences in brain development. “This is a fascinating story,” he added.
