Comment on "Ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM, a brain size determinant in Homo sapiens" and "Microcephalin, a gene regulating brain size, continues to evolve adaptively in humans".
Bibliographic Collection:
MOCA Reference, APE
Publication Type: Journal Article
Authors: Currat, Mathias; Excoffier, Laurent; Maddison, Wayne; Otto, Sarah P; Ray, Nicolas; Whitlock, Michael C; Yeaman, Sam
Year of Publication: 2006
Journal: Science
Volume: 313
Issue: 5784
Pagination: 172; author reply 172
Date Published: 2006 Jul 14
Publication Language: eng
ISSN: 1095-9203
Keywords: Adaptation, Biological, Biological Evolution, Brain, Demography, Founder Effect, Gene Frequency, Haplotypes, Humans, Models, Theoretical, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Organ Size, Population Density, Population Growth, Selection, Genetic, Sequence Analysis, DNA
Abstract:
Mekel-Bobrov et al. and Evans et al. (Reports, 9 Sept. 2005, p. 1720 and p. 1717, respectively) examined sequence data from modern humans within two gene regions associated with brain development, ASPM and microcephalin, and concluded that selection of these genes must be ongoing. We show that models of human history that include both population growth and spatial structure can generate the observed patterns without selection.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1122712
Alternate Journal: Science
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