PhD student Yoav Mathov, under the guidance of Professor Eran Meshorer from the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and Professor Liran Carmel from the Department of Genetics at the Hebrew University, has pioneered a groundbreaking method for reconstructing DNA methylation patterns in ancient tissues. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, this innovative research highlights ELSC’s leadership in advancing our understanding of brain evolution.
DNA methylation, a key marker of gene expression, reveals gene activity in tissues like the brain, which do not fossilize. Using methylation patterns from skeletal DNA, the team developed an algorithm with 92% precision for predicting changes in non-skeletal tissues. Applying this technique to ancient humans, they identified over 1,850 methylation differences in prefrontal cortex neurons, including genes such as NBPF, critical for brain development and evolution.
By enabling the study of epigenetic changes in tissues absent from the fossil record, this breakthrough provides a transformative lens for understanding the molecular mechanisms that shaped the human brain and other vital organs. These findings mark a significant advance in evolutionary biology and anthropology, offering new insights into the evolution of human neural and cognitive traits.
The full study is available here.
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