Gene duplications prolonged the development of brain connections – and may have contributed to human intelligence

Gene duplications prolonged the development of brain connections – and may have contributed to human intelligence

Microglial cells in an experiment examining the effect of SRGAP2 on cell structure and maturation rate. The image compares a cell with normal gene activity to a cell lacking SRGAP2; determining the maturation rate relies on a series of measurements rather than a single image. Credit: Carlos Diaz-Salazar / Polleux Lab / Columbia's Zuckerman Institute