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posted by azrael on Wednesday October 22 2014, @08:03PM   Printer-friendly
from the super-human-evolution dept.

The region of genome that is associated with autism contains a genetic variation that evolved relatively recently (Abstract) in human history - in the last 250,000 years.

Human geneticists have discovered that a region of the genome associated with autism contains genetic variation that evolved in the last 250,000 years, after the divergence of humans from ancient hominids, and likely plays an important role in disease.

Researchers at the University of Washington analyzed the genomes of 2,551 humans, 86 apes, one Neanderthal, and one Denisovan. They closely examined a region of human chromosome 16 known as 16p11.2, a region prone to genetic changes in which segments of DNA are deleted or duplicated, one of the most common genetic causes of autism, schizophrenia, and other conditions. The geneticists found that certain segments of DNA in this region are repeated a variable number of times in different people and may also be associated with disease.

To trace the origins of this variation, the researchers collaborated with colleagues at the University of Lausanne and the University of Bari to sequence and analyze corresponding regions of ape genomes.

“When we compared the genomes of apes and humans, we found that the humans had evolved complex structural changes at 16p11.2 associated with deletions and duplications that often result in autism. The findings suggest that these changes emerged relatively recently and are unique to humans,” explained study author Xander Nuttle, BS, BSE, a graduate student in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

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  • (Score: 1) by takyon on Wednesday October 22 2014, @08:22PM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday October 22 2014, @08:22PM (#108861) Journal
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    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday October 22 2014, @10:04PM

      by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Wednesday October 22 2014, @10:04PM (#108922) Journal

      Bullshit. The mutation occurred earlier - but did not survive. The autistic were simply eaten by wildlife.

      --
      You're betting on the pantomime horse...
      • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday October 23 2014, @04:38PM

        by Gaaark (41) on Thursday October 23 2014, @04:38PM (#109241) Journal

        ... with a nice Chianti muddy puddle.

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by morgauxo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:16PM

    by morgauxo (2082) on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:16PM (#108889)

    They had one each of Neanderthals and Denisovans. How can they definitively say how many copies of BOLA2 those species had when ours varies from individual to individual? How do they know that they didn't vary too?

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:17PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:17PM (#108890) Journal

    “When we compared the genomes of apes and humans, we found that the humans had evolved complex structural changes at 16p11.2 associated with deletions and duplications that often result in autism. The findings suggest that these changes emerged relatively recently and are unique to humans,”

    * was "intelligence" the "autism of apes"?
    * is autism the new intelligence (i.e. the next evolutionary step in human intellect)?

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    • (Score: 2) by morgauxo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:20PM

      by morgauxo (2082) on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:20PM (#108895)

      Maybe but if so it is still awaiting some other, complimentary change that removes the negative effects.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:50PM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:50PM (#108914) Journal

        some other, complimentary change that removes the negative effects.

        Like what?
        * Reduced capability of "cheap socialization" (in a world with 7T+ people)?
        * Dyspraxia [wikipedia.org] (chronic impaired movement coordination) in a world in which manufacturing is merely an intellectual job due to "manufacture on demand" (3D printing and what not)?
        * Impaired short term memory but boosted long term one in a world where "personal assistants" (Siri/Vlingo/Maluuba) are common?

        --
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        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:57PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:57PM (#108918)

          Reduced rate of reproduction. That would be the important negative effect that impacts evolution. Evolution is all about reproduction rates, and if a man tuned for "cheap socialization" gets more girls knocked up, his genes will spread farther than the autistic guy who has difficulty communicating with women.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @10:12PM

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday October 22 2014, @10:12PM (#108929) Journal

            and if a man tuned for "cheap socialization" gets more girls knocked up, his genes will spread farther than the autistic guy who has difficulty communicating with women.

            On the other side, autistic girls may have better times with autistic boys (and ape boys may not be so attracted to autistic girls) - sorta increased chances for speciation.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday October 23 2014, @07:41AM

            by sjames (2882) on Thursday October 23 2014, @07:41AM (#109075) Journal

            OTOH, it may be that part of the problem is that parents (and 'experts') don't actually know how to properly raise an autistic child. By the 2nd or third generation, they might begin to reach full potential.

            Consider how impaired a normal human child is in the rare cases where they are adopted by another species.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by CRCulver on Thursday October 23 2014, @11:33AM

          by CRCulver (4390) on Thursday October 23 2014, @11:33AM (#109120) Homepage

          Like what?

          Autism is a wide spectrum of disorders. Only a minority of autists are highly intelligent people who just have some problems with socialization. Elsewhere among autism spectrum disorders one finds spastics, people who engage in self-harm (eye-poking, skin-picking, hand-biting and head-banging), etc. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, and calling this the next step in human progress is a sick joke.

          • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday October 23 2014, @04:47PM

            by Gaaark (41) on Thursday October 23 2014, @04:47PM (#109246) Journal

            Not really a sick joke, but a natural evolution of our 'caring society'.

            They have discovered that a high percentage of preemie babies turn out autistic: kids that in the past would have died are now surviving (my son is a perfect example of this).

            Kids that have a 'forced' survival, but are autistic because of it (not fully developed brains and cognition?) are a possible 'forced' form of evolution.

            If you were to keep 2 headed kids alive and let them have 2 headed kids of their own and keep THEM alive and so on, you have forced a form of evolution: not through natural selection but by forced selection.

            Then there are the hillbillies and the 'Jersey Shore' types... WTF is a Snooki, anyways?

            --
            --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
            • (Score: 1) by unauthorized on Thursday October 23 2014, @06:57PM

              by unauthorized (3776) on Thursday October 23 2014, @06:57PM (#109302)

              There is nothing forced about it, human intelligence and the effects of human intelligence are natural. Natural selection does not mean naturalistic selection, it means selection based on persistent environmental factors, regardless of their source. Surviving in human society is a positive selection trait. Being driven to protect your young despite abnormalities is a positive selection trait. Killing the other guys for resources is a positive selection trait.

              Natural isn't about rainbows and sunshine, nor is it about being optimal. The only important criteria is "does it work well enough to continue species".

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 23 2014, @01:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 23 2014, @01:35PM (#109150)

      is autism the new intelligence (i.e. the next evolutionary step in human intellect)?

      No. Your "indigo child" snowflake is not Homo superioris.

  • (Score: 2) by morgauxo on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:18PM

    by morgauxo (2082) on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:18PM (#108891)

    "They closely examined a region of human chromosome 16 known as 16p11.2, a region prone to genetic changes in which segments of DNA are deleted or duplicated, one of the most common genetic causes of autism, schizophrenia, and other conditions."

    I saw nothing in the abstract except autism. Is this pertinent to those other conditions or not?

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:31PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 22 2014, @09:31PM (#108900)

      A quick Google search for "16p11.2 schizophrenia" seems to agree with the assertion, although I lack the background to tell you if it's actually true.