Ancient regulatory evolution shapes individual language abilities in present-day humans.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42018620.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aed5260 and PMC identifier 13101878.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Language is a defining feature of our species, yet the genomic changes enabling it remain poorly understood. Despite decades of work since <i>FOXP2</i>'s discovery, we still lack a clear picture of which regions shaped language evolution and how variation contributes to present-day phenotypic differences. Using an evolutionary stratified polygenic score approach, we find that human ancestor quickly evolved regions (HAQERs) are associated with spoken language abilities (discovery <i>N</i> = 350, total replication <i>N</i> > 100,000). HAQERs evolved before the human-Neanderthal split, giving hominins increased binding of Forkhead and Homeobox transcription factors, and show evidence of balancing selection across the past 20,000 years. Language-associated variants in HAQERs appear more prevalent in Neanderthals, and HAQER-like sequences show convergent evolution across vocal-learning mammals. Our results reveal how ancient innovations continue shaping human language.
Medical subject headings
- Language
- Evolution, Molecular