Paleoneurology

I finally got around to reading last week's Newsweek last night on my bus ride home from school. The cover story was related to paleoneurology (my new career dream, they are starting to pile up). According to the article, scientists are starting to find that the evolutionary trail is not as direct as they once thought. The article is full of information about the evolution and changes that have occurred in brain structure throughout the years, leading to different survival factors, and which I just find fascinating.

One statement really stood out, towards the end of the article. The author discusses the changes in the structure of the brain that must have occurred in order for humans to have developed in the way that they have. The article states that scientists "comb[ed] the genome for genes that emerged just when language, art, culture and other products of higher intelligence did, researchers have found three with the right timing."

The final gene that the article mentions is "called ASPM and also involved in brain size, clocks in at 5,800 years. That was just before people established the first cities in the Near East and is well after Homo sapiens attained their modern form."

Interesting. What's the Hebrew year again?