Block C Even http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/science/12gene.html?ref=science
Both humans and animals have the gene FOXP2, which controls human speech. However, humans are the only species that can speak. Only 2 out of 740 units of the human gene differ from the chimpanzee form. This may be the reason why chimpanzees cannot speak and humans can. An experiment done on mice shows that there is no major transformation when the human FOXP2 gene is inserted into mice, but that is probably because our last common ancestor lived 60 million years ago. A parallel experiment has recently been completed where the chimp version of the gene was inserted into a human neuron. Because it was not a full brain, the neurons only gave a glimpse of what would happen if the gene was inserted into a full human brain. Even so, this experiment confirmed that the gene controls at least 116 different genes. The gene, as if it was a conductor in an orchestra, makes some of the genes quiet while making others do a lot. The human gene seems to be acting on a much more much more refined set of genes than the chimp gene. Also, it looks like the entire set of genes has evolved to make a language. Some of the genes in the FOXP2 are also linked to speech malfunctions, which confirms that it is important in speech. The FOXP2 system genes aren't the only genes involved in speech though, because while the FOXP2 genes are equally active on both sides of the brain, the use of all of the genes needed in language is not equal on both sides.
This article is important because scientists think that they can learn a lot more about language from studying this new gene. Dr. Daniel H. Geschwind, the leader of the chimpanzee experiment, hopes "to use FOXP2 as a lever to get a view of the molecular machinery in a biological language circuit." Martin Dominguez and Dr. Pasko Rakic of Yale describe this as an important discovery that “provides a starting point for future studies of the molecular basis of language and human evolution.”
I thought that this article was very thorough in explaining the FOXP2 gene, but the wording could be hard for me to understand. I needed to look up neuron and genome, as I did not know either of them. A neuron is a cell that transmits nerve impulses, or a nerve cell, and a genome is the complete set of genes in a cell or organism.
I believed you described the gene FOXP2 in great detail, which made the reader more involved with your article. I also liked your presentation on the experiment with mice and the FOXP2 gene. I also enjoyed your comparison of the chimp gene and human gine. I found the article a little confusing at times, and I got confused with the different types of genes. I really enjoyed how you debated that this article was important for learning more about language.
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