Submitted 1 year ago by Cat@ponder.cat to science@mander.xyz
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56579-2
Researchers identify gene linked to origins of spoken language.
More like: Researchers identify gene change in humans, that is leads to vocalisation differences when changed in Mice. Researchers speculate gene change is linked to origins of spoken language.
We really need more nuance in scientific reporting. These headlines are close to outright lies.
An expanded genomic analysis of the dbSNP database revealed that this substitution was present in all but six of 650,058 human sequences, five of which were from individuals of Asian descent (Supplementary Fig. 1a). As the samples are deidentified, it is not possible to assess additional details about these individuals.
Seems like we could learn a lot more by finding and studying some of the modern humans who are missing this substitution, than by introducing it into mice.
It would be wild if we could use this to make animals talk.
This is so absurd it twisted my brain. Ten years ago, I could have dismissed your statement as completely infeasible. Now? Would I be surprised if, through the agonizing sacrifice of hundreds of failed attempts in some deregulated research facility, scientists successfully used CRISPR gene editing and human brain organoids to create some abomination that technically could be called classified as a talking animal. I mean probably not but, yea, that’d be wild wouldn’t it.
we generated mice
janus2@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
bout to be some Mice of NIMH