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Scientists have successfully grown versions of Neanderthal brains the size of a pea, a breakthrough that could help better understand the species that disappeared about 40,000 years ago.
Cultivating and studying these mini brains could reveal why Neanderthals died out
Homo sapiens
"Genetic differences between the Neanderthal brain and the human brain may explain their demise and our success," said Alysson R. Muotri, director of the University of California, San Diego, United States
Researchers compared the Neanderthal genome with that of modern humans. Of the 200 candidate genes that showed significant differences between the two species, the researchers focused on a gene expression regulator called NOVA1.
To cultivate mini-Neanderthal brains, they used the CRISPR gene editing tool for human "Neanderthaliser". Then, using their internal protocol, "we persuaded stem cells to become a brain organoid," said Muotri
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