How man 'lost his penile spines' (BBC News Online, 9 March 2011)

10 Mar 2011


A paper in Nature describes a genetic study of human evolution. The researchers discovered a number of deletions in the human genetic code that have ultimately made man man, and homed-in on two in particular which resulted in man losing the spines that appear on the penises of many mammals and gaining the ability to grow a bigger brain. The researchers also note that the deletions seem to be focused around areas involved in steroid hormone regulation.

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