Podcast Episode
Using this data, the team trained machine learning models to predict control element activity directly from DNA sequences. The AI proved remarkably accurate, not only modelling the six species studied but also predicting activity across hundreds of other mammals.
The cerebellum, traditionally associated with movement and balance, also contributes to cognition, emotion, and language. Understanding its evolutionary expansion offers insights into what makes human brains distinctive.
The research, published in Science, was funded by the European Research Council, the European Molecular Biology Organization, and the Simons Foundation.
AI Decodes Human Brain Evolution Across 240 Mammal Species
January 30, 2026
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Scientists have developed AI models that predict genetic control element activity from DNA sequences alone, enabling them to trace the evolutionary history of the human cerebellum across 240 mammalian species. The research identified human-specific genetic changes that may explain why our brains expanded.
AI Models Unlock Secrets of Human Brain Evolution
An international research team has achieved a breakthrough in understanding how the human brain evolved, using artificial intelligence to trace genetic changes across 240 mammalian species spanning 160 million years of evolution.Mapping the Developing Cerebellum
Researchers led by Professor Henrik Kaessmann at Heidelberg University and Professor Stein Aerts at the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and KU Leuven used advanced sequencing technologies to map genetic control elements in individual brain cells from six species: humans, bonobos, macaques, marmosets, mice, and opossums. These control elements are DNA sequences that determine when and where genes are switched on.Using this data, the team trained machine learning models to predict control element activity directly from DNA sequences. The AI proved remarkably accurate, not only modelling the six species studied but also predicting activity across hundreds of other mammals.
Human-Specific Discovery
The research uncovered a particularly striking finding: a new control element near the THRB gene, which encodes a thyroid hormone receptor found in all vertebrates. This element allows the gene to operate in cerebellar stem cells, potentially contributing to why the human cerebellum expanded during evolution.The cerebellum, traditionally associated with movement and balance, also contributes to cognition, emotion, and language. Understanding its evolutionary expansion offers insights into what makes human brains distinctive.
A Stable Grammar Over Millions of Years
Despite individual genetic changes, the study found that the regulatory grammar governing cerebellar cell types has remained remarkably stable over 160 million years of mammalian evolution. This stability suggests that certain fundamental rules of brain development are deeply conserved.The research, published in Science, was funded by the European Research Council, the European Molecular Biology Organization, and the Simons Foundation.
Published January 30, 2026 at 11:14pm
