Brain Food in Early Human Ancestors Diet - Book Report/Review Example

The article provides a clue about how the human brain could have evolved over the years with the discovery of the food consumed by our early ancestors from excavated animal bones and stone tools. The project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and a collaborative effort of several institutions, provides evidence to the consumption of aquatic brain foods such as fishes, turtles and crocodiles by our ancestors which are rich sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids and docosahexaenoic acid. Studies have shown that these fatty acids are vital for brain growth and development. Hence these foods consumed by our ancestors could have helped increase the size and development of the brain and thereby aid in its evolution. Previous research has shown that the brain size of humans showed remarkable increases after two million years ago. Thus this study provides ample proof to the speculation that inclusion of meat in the diet of our ancestors is the reason behind the rapid brain growth which requires more calories and nutrients in the mother’s diet. There is no previous evidence for this and this study is the first to prove the presence of brain foods in the diet of our ancestors. In the present study a 1.95 million year old site was discovered by a team of anthropologists in the northwestern region of Kenya. The fossilized remains in the site were well preserved which enabled the researchers to develop a detailed study of the remains of the animals killed by early human ancestors at the site. The stone tools found at the site provided evidence that they were used to cut the meat from the bones or break the bones to eat the bone marrow, which is a rich source of fat, of these animals. The bones found at the site bore cut marks made by sharp tools. Researchers excavated a wide variety of animal bones ranging from those of small birds to hippopotamus bones. Consuming food from smaller animals such as turtles and fish provided the necessary protein to the humans and alleviated the need to hunt larger animals such as lions and hyenas as the ancestors were of small built and were not physically incapable of using large animals as food sources. The study also identified fossilized plant remains that provided evidence on the marshy and wet habitat in which the early humans were living. The bones were identified as those belonging to turtles, fishes, crocodiles and large antelopes. The volcanic ash covering the site was used to determine the age of the site using a combination of several techniques to be close to 1.95 million years. This study has paved way for unearthing more information pertaining to the diet of our early ancestors that could provide more clues about the evolution of the human race (Archeologists Discover). The article on the genetics behind the occurrence of autism spectrum of disorders points to the fact that several spontaneous mutations that occur in many genes throughout the DNA are responsible for causing the disorder. Children with the condition exhibit problems in social interaction and language skills to a large extent in addition to other symptoms such as a lower IQ compared to normal children of the same age. Out of the three studies published in the Neuron, two studies provide clues to the increased risk of occurrence of autism in boys compared to girls. The studies have found that girls with autism exhibit a higher percentage of genetic mutations and hence only in the presence of a large genomic change, autism occurs in girls. It has not been possible to decipher the common mutations associated with the disorder which is considered to be 90% heritable. However, geneticist has shown that spontaneous mutations that occur in the individual during his lifetime play a vital role in many cases of autism spectrum of diseases. In one of the study, a large number of duplications and deletions in the genome of autistic individuals were observed during the study follow-up. This triggered a study by scientists to unravel duplicative or deleted mutations that occur in individual with autism with the main focus on mutations that occur spontaneously. The study showed that nearly 130 duplications and deletions occurred spontaneously in autistic individuals which increase their risk to the disorder. However, Michael Wigler, who was part of the study, believes that about 400 such sites could possibly be present if explored further. Given the large number of genes involved in causing the condition, development of therapies could be a lot more difficult compared to other disorders. Thus it is unlikely that a single treatment would effectively cure the disorder as in the case of such multi-gene disorders several complications may arise which have to be treated accordingly. The study also found that deletion of a region in chromosome 7 is associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome in which the affected individual exhibit hyperactive social behavior while in case of autism the region is duplicated and is associated with antisocial behavior. As the region involves several genes, it has been difficult to narrow down the specific gene, however the scientists believe that further studies of the region would provide clues on the gene behind the deviant behavioral pattern. Computational biology was also used to determine the neurobiology of the genetic variants discovered in the study and the relationship between spontaneously mutated variants and brain function was explored. This provided clues on the existence of a large clustered genetic network that governed the activity of nerve cell connections. The possibility of developing a diagnostic test based on this network is also being explored. Thus the study provides ample evidence on the multiple genes involved in the development of autism. Another major finding in the study is that for autism to occur in girls a higher percentage of mutations is required than boys who tend to show signs of the disorder with a relatively lesser number of mutations. Thus girls are less prone to the disorder and the protective effect afforded by their brains will remain to be explored in future studies. If these are explored further the same pathways can be activated in boys in order to afford them protection from the disorder. Thus the study provides an insight to the multi-gene causative factors that are involved in the autism spectrum of diseases and also the reason behind the increased risk of autism in girls compared to boys (Ledford). References 1. “Archeologists Discover “Brain Food” in Early Human Ancestor’s Diet”. Newswise.com. News Wise, 28 May 2010, Web. 21 Apr. 2012. http://www.newswise.com/articles/archeologists-discover-brain-food-in-early-human-ancestors-diet 2. Ledford, Heidi. “Autism linked to hundreds of spontaneous genetic mutations.” Nature.com. Nature, 9 June 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110609/full/news.2011.359.html Read More