In 2001, researches found the FOXP2 gene to be linked to many aspects of language, specifically through enabling precise orofacial control. When this gene is not functioning correctly, severe speech impairment occurs. According to a new study appearing in Nature, this gene was a mutation in humans about 200,000 years ago- around the same time cultures begin to develop. The gene, found on the 7th chromosome, contains 2 polyglutamine tracts, which contains repeats of CAG and CAA, which is conducive to elevated mutation rates. It has been found there are mutations in other primates preventing the gene from being functional, however ignoring the polyglutamine sections, there is only 1 key difference in the sequence in the human FOXP2 and the mouse FOXP2, and only two differences between human and chimpanzee. Since the gene is also found in mice, it is suggested that it first appearing when humans and mice diverged, about 70 million years ago, and that the mutatation for the difference between the original and humans occured sometime in the past 200,000 years.

I wonder if they will ever get round to engineering some of these genes into chimps and so on. I hope they hurry up and have a go in the next few years. It would be fascinating to see if they can artificially push evolution forwards...