16 Sep 14
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What makes us humans intellectually unique from other animals? Surely there is no simple answer to that. But, at least a small part of the answer appears to be a mutation to a gene called Foxp2 although this is just one of a number of uniquely human versions of genes that are associated with human intelligence. When scientists engineered mice to express humanized Foxp2, remarkably, the mice learning ability measurably improved!
In humans, the gene is associated with both language and learning.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-neuroscientists-key-role-language-gene.html
Originally posted by sonhousewhat would happen is they start talking with their first word being "NO!" and then go on the rampage taking over the world hunting us for sport while we will go dumb.
Wonder if they could insert that gene into Bonobo's and chimps, what would happen, since they are the closest to us genetically.
16 Sep 14
Originally posted by humyHey, that might make a great movie🙂
what would happen is they start talking with their first word being "NO!" and then go on the rampage taking over the world hunting us for sport while we will go dumb.
Seriously, the talking part would be difficult, they don't have the vocal chord arrangement of humans so it would be more like intelligent grunts and lots of vowels.
Was just thinking of that old song, OOH EE, OOH AH AH, TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG🙂
16 Sep 14
Originally posted by twhiteheadThat doesn't make sense, suppose you just have fat neurons? Then you would have a large brain but limited number of connections. It's the connections that make for intelligence.
I believe brain size, or rather the number of neurons in the brain, is the largest factor in intelligence.
16 Sep 14
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Originally posted by sonhouseI am not an expert on this but I assume Gorilla and Chimp brains generally have less connections than that in the human brain?
That doesn't make sense, suppose you just have fat neurons? Then you would have a large brain but limited number of connections. It's the connections that make for intelligence.
But I suppose you could always genetically engineer some to have as many connections as a human brain.
16 Sep 14
Originally posted by humyNo, I am pretty sure the connections and surface area of chimps is something like 1/4 of humans, I remember seeing the brains splayed out 3 dimensionally and humans covered something like a square meter while chimps 1/4th of that.
I am not an expert on this but I assume Gorilla and Chimp brains generally have less connections than that in the human brain?
But I suppose you could always genetically engineer some to have as many connections as a human brain.
16 Sep 14
Originally posted by twhiteheadThere was a news report a couple of years ago about a girl in France who had only one hemisphere. She is academically normal. I think for human intelligence the presence of specific structures has a level of importance as high as the ratio of brain size to body mass or connectivity per neurone.
I believe brain size, or rather the number of neurons in the brain, is the largest factor in intelligence.
16 Sep 14
Originally posted by sonhouseThat is why I said number of neurons not total size.
That doesn't make sense, suppose you just have fat neurons? Then you would have a large brain but limited number of connections. It's the connections that make for intelligence.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_by_number_of_neurons
And:
16 Sep 14
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Originally posted by DeepThoughtDid the remaining hemisphere grow to fill the space? Did it have more neurons than a typical human hemisphere?
There was a news report a couple of years ago about a girl in France who had only one hemisphere. She is academically normal.
Are you sure she wasn't impaired in some areas? Intelligence is more than just academics.
Even a human brain with one hemisphere has over 50% more neurons than a Chimpanzee.
17 Sep 14
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Originally posted by twhiteheadThere was an X-ray which showed the hemisphere leaning over slightly but she had one normal hemisphere. This was a television news report lasting about two minutes, they did not indicate that there were any other consequences. Since the medical community were involved there was some effect, I'd guess she's blind in one eye.
Did the remaining hemisphere grow to fill the space? Did it have more neurons than a typical human hemisphere?
Are you sure she wasn't impaired in some areas? Intelligence is more than just academics.
Even a human brain with one hemisphere has over 50% more neurons than a Chimpanzee.
What I was getting at is that a purely reductionist view of the brain won't explain intelligence.