What Makes Our Brains Unique?

The Brain





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Alex Mit/Shutterstock

Our brains are arguably one of evolution’s greatest achievements, composed of many regions that each have unique configurations of cells and patterns of connectivity that together bestow us our mental prowess. But what is it about our genes that makes this organ so distinct from those of others? New research from scientists at the Allen Institute is offering us some insight, discovering that a relatively small number of gene expression patterns seem to predominate in the brain, and that these appear to be common, or conserved, among humans.