The importance of being human

摘要

Some genes find instant favour in scientific culture and, like popular celebrities, remain under the close watch of their devoted following. FOXP2 has many of the qualities of an in-vogue gene - relevance to human disease, evolutionary significance and a prominent role in brain development. The gene was first found to be mutated in a family with language dysfunction1, hence its implication in the development and evolution of human speech and language, and its reputation as the language gene'.