Intelligence on Earth evolved 'by accident', study claims

A study which has pinpointed the moment 'intelligence' evolved suggests it may have happened by accident.

The genetic 'fluke' which led to the evolution of our ability to reason may have also sown the seeds of mental illness, the researchers claim.

The study claims that the genes which led to complex behaviour evolved 500 million years ago, when our 'ancestors' were invertebrates living in the sea.

A mutation which led to the number of brain genes in our ancestors multiplying set life on Earth on the path towards complex thought, and our ability to analyse situations.

But the researchers claim that mental illness may be the 'price' we pay for intelligence.

Their conclusions are based on studying 'complex behaviours' in mice and humans, in experiments which involved identifying objects on touch screens - then tracing the genetic origins of these behaviours.


Professor Seth Grant, of the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, said: "One of the greatest scientific problems is to explain how intelligence and complex behaviours arose during evolution."

The research, detailed in two papers in Nature Neuroscience, also shows a direct link between the evolution of 'complex behaviour' and the origins of brain diseases.

Scientists believe that the same genes that improved our mental capacity are also responsible for a number of brain disorders.

"This ground breaking work has implications for how we understand the emergence of psychiatric disorders and will offer new avenues for the development of new treatments," said John Williams, Head of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the Wellcome Trust, one of the study funders.


They found that higher mental functions in humans and mice were controlled by the same genes.

The study also showed that when these genes were mutated or damaged, they impaired higher mental functions.

"Our work shows that the price of higher intelligence and more complex behaviours is more mental illness," said Professor Grant.

The researchers had previously shown that more than 100 childhood and adult brain diseases are caused by gene mutations.

"We can now apply genetics and behavioural testing to help patients with these diseases", said Dr Tim Bussey from Cambridge University.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/intelligence-on-earth-evolved--by-accident---study-claims-121733062.html

Hmmm

.

Too much book dey damage d brain..always first and on point

I should have known earlier

how?
Not yet convinced...

okay.. ..but do mice have brain diseases too??

Very true. Look around you, a lot of mad people are quite intelligent. . Or over intelligent people eventually have some form of mental illness.

So dat means all the mad piple wey de nl were once intelligent I dnt think so some of them were born with brain disorder

Oyinbos will not mislead us with their unverified or unproof theories

Who read all that?

lancey: okay.. ..but do mice have brain diseases too??

Why dont you ask the mice in your kitchen, perhaps it may have the answer you desire!

baby_123: Very true. Look around you, a lot of mad people are quite intelligent. . Or over intelligent people eventually have some form of mental illness.

okay..........so how many mad people have had the pleasure of discussing with?

This work might be ground breaking for them, for me, it is only earth shaking!

baby_123: Very true. Look around you, a lot of mad people are quite intelligent. . Or over intelligent people eventually have some form of mental illness.

The reason why some intellingent peeps are unballance is because of over release of neurochemical called dopamin.
Thesame chemical release when u smoke weed.

creativity is d key to success. With this doctor's research n solution, he sure will make his own doe, but we always survive all those researches n findings, after all, we always do

Minion: Ur painfulness! The more the brain of mortals develop the more their susceptible to illness they are
Hades: Of course! That is not new. There is always a price to pay. And I think this price is a cheap one.
Minion: Really!!! Hmmmm!!! So What you are saying my Lord! Is that with great power comes great responsibilities?!

DATS Y OUR GIRLS DRESS MORE NAKED THE MORE THE GET CIVILIZED
AND OUR GUYS MORE CRAZY ABOUT SEX AND READY TO HAVE IT ON THE EXPRESS WAY - ITS ALL CIVILISATION

Meeah:

okay..........so how many mad people have had the pleasure of discussing with?

. None. But i used to see one that used to carry books all over the place with him. Must be dead now. Speaking some serious english . Plus a lot of psychopaths and sociopaths are quite intelligent. Case in point the neuroscience student that shot people in a movie theater.

Long story, too many myths!!!
Ever wondered what a mad man thinks of?

Mcheew, nonsense! Evolution is the most unscientific notion that actually came out of science.
Science proposes that it is from the evidences around that you derive your theory but it is clear that evolution proponents have already drawn the conclusion and are now looking for facts to back them up.
Most statisticians agree that a probability of 1 in about 5000 can be considered impossible. Oya imagine the probability of such a mutation happening to only humans out of the billions of species on earth

This means that d obviously intelligent people who carried out d research are also neurotic.

There are some element of truth in the research. I concur.

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bigx: Who read all that?

read just the bolded

topsyking: Too much book dey damage d brain..always first and on point

In other words, you go soon run mad...

[quote author=

The world is just a psychiatric asylum, reason being that every man is mad in his own way.

Anyways, let's talk about Jesus:

How he rebuked legions of demons from a mad man sending them into a herd of swine that perished in a sea.
Awesome!

No wonder I talk am,Mynd44,k2039,afamever,idowuogbo e.t.c are very intelligent but sometime they go offline whlie online.

No wonder I talk am,Mynd44,k2039,afamever,idowuogbo e.t.c are very intelligent but sometime they go offline whlie online.

Tomorrow they will contradict this as its not complete

how