By John Lauerman - 2012-08-30T18:00:00Z

DNA analysis of an extinct human ancestor that lived 80,000 years ago has pinpointed fundamental genes tied to the brains evolution, showing how genome testing is changing anthropology and archaeology along with medicine.

At least eight genes that rose to prominence in human DNA since the time of the ancient relatives, called Denisovans, affect nerve growth and language, an international team of researchers said today in the journal Science. The cognitive power conferred by these genes may have keyed the development of complex thinking skills, culture and civilization said Svante Paabo, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

This is perhaps in the long term, to me, the most fascinating part about this; what it will tell us in the future about what makes us special in the world, he said yesterday on a conference call.

New DNA techniques are reshaping knowledge of human evolution just as quickly as theyre sparking the development of medical tests and treatments. Using a tiny amount of material from an ancient finger bone, scientists were able to analyze the ancient ancestors genes as closely as those of anyone who walked into a lab today, said David Reich, a Harvard Medical School genetics professor who contributed to the study.

Almost every cell in an organism holds a complete copy its genome, the chemical code for making proteins and tissues. The Denisovan genome analyzed in the study gives a broad visual picture of the individual it came from, holding genes that predict brown hair, brown eyes and dark skin in humans.

Denisovans, who lived in Asia, were closely related to Neanderthals, a group of human ancestors that existed at about the same time.

The structure of the bone the DNA came from suggests it was that of a young girl, about 7 or 8 years old, the scientists said. Paleontologists excavated the fragment, along with two teeth, at Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia in 2008.

In some ways, this ancient genome is even higher quality than the modern-day genomes weve produced, Reich said in a telephone interview. This means that very degraded ancient DNA samples that werent possible to study before can now be studied.

As part of the investigation, the researchers sequenced 11 new genomes from people in representative populations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Among modern human populations, the Denisovan genome is most similar to the DNA of Papua New Guinea natives, the study said.

Continued here:
Ancient Human Kin’s DNA Code Illuminates Rise of Brains