An intersting article in the New York Times talks about a new study on the human brain that was published in Science magazine. It is sure to cause controversy from a number of angles because "New versions of the genes, or alleles as geneticists call them, appear to have spread because they enhanced brain function in some way, the report suggests, and they are more common in some populations than others." (Emphasis added.)

Scientits have long thought that the human brain stoped evolving 50,000 years ago--along with human evolution. Here are my questions:

Will the Religious Right jump all over the study? After all, there is no such thing as evolution. God created the world in 6 days. Anyone who says otherwise is a Godless-liberal and an enemy of the Christian People's Republica of America.

Exactly what populations do the authors theorize have this brain-evolving gene more than others (read the whole article)? Rosebud prays that this cannot and will not be wrongly and ignorantly exploited by white supremacists (not to mention the Republican Party).

Are Republicans' brains evolving at the same pace as other human beings? Does holding the following beliefs slow down the evolution of the human brain? (1) God created the world in 6 days, (2) there is no global warming, (3) the internal combustine engine is the greatest creation ever and cannot be replaced, (4) souless exurbs full of strip malls and fast food are good for living creatures and (5) you can have all the government you want and NEVER pay taxes?

Hey, just asking.

Remember: this is a theory. We live in the reality-based community here.

Brain May Still Be Evolving, Studies Hint
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: September 9, 2005
Two genes involved in determining the size of the human brain have undergone substantial evolution in the last 60,000 years, researchers say, leading to the surprising suggestion that the brain is still undergoing rapid evolution.

The discovery adds weight to the view that human evolution is still a work in progress, since previous instances of recent genetic change have come to light in genes that defend against disease and confer the ability to digest milk in adulthood.

It had been widely assumed until recently that human evolution more or less stopped 50,000 years ago.

The new finding, reported in today's issue of Science by Bruce T. Lahn of the University of Chicago, and colleagues, could raise controversy because of the genes' role in determining brain size. New versions of the genes, or alleles as geneticists call them, appear to have spread because they enhanced brain function in some way, the report suggests, and they are more common in some populations than others. Read entire story