Genes linked to creativity gave Homo sapiens an edge over Neanderthals

Researchers have discovered a series of genes linked to creativity that may have given Homo sapiens a significant advantage over Neanderthals, allowing him to avoid extinction.

The results of the study, published by an international research team this Wednesday in the journal Nature Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that these genes have played "a fundamental role in the evolution of creativity, self-awareness and cooperative behavior. ".

These genes were like "a secret weapon" that gave modern humans "a significant advantage over now extinct hominids by promoting greater resistance to aging, injury and disease," they write.

Led by the University of Granada in Spain, these experts have identified 267 unique genes in humans and, through genetic markers, gene expression data and MRI techniques supported by artificial intelligence. , discovered that they were linked to creativity.

Better physical condition

"Scientists were able to identify the regions of the brain in which these genes (and those with which they interacted) were overexpressed," they wrote. “These regions (of the brain) are involved in human self-awareness and creativity, and include regions which are strongly associated with human well-being and which have arisen relatively recently. "

The same team had previously identified a set of 972 genes organized into three brain networks, the oldest of which - which concerns learning habits, social attachment and conflict resolution - dates back to 40 million years ago. 'years.

The second network - which concerns intentional self-mastery - appeared 2 million years ago, while the most recent, which governs creative self-awareness, only appeared 100,000 years ago.

“Thanks to these genes, Homo sapiens enjoyed better physical condition than the now extinct hominids, which gave them a higher level of resistance to aging, injury and disease,” they wrote.

“Physical fitness, or resilience, is intrinsic to the definition of creativity,” said lead author of the study, Igor Zwir.

This discovery sheds new light on why Homo sapiens survived Neanderthals and other species. According to the authors, creativity may have encouraged cooperation between individuals, which would have paved the way for technological innovation, behavioral flexibility and openness to exploration, thus allowing them to develop more successfully than their predecessors.