DNA Quote: Dr. Svante Paabo

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 26, 2007 in DNA Quotes and Excerpts

Dr. Svante Paabo, director of evolutionary genetics, Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, in the October 15, 2007 issue of Newsweek:

NEWSWEEK: You are trying to sequence the genome of a Neanderthal. Why?

PAABO: The genetic differences we find between humans and our closest relative—who happens to be extinct—will tell us how fully modern humans were able to spread over the world, develop technology, start producing art, and so on. By sequencing the genome we will be able to make a catalogue of all the genetic changes that happened in our ancestors after we separated from Neanderthals, and this will help scientists identify which genetic differences are unique to modern humans.

How could your findings benefit people down the road?

In the long run, aspects of what we do might become important medically. It may be that we can understand, for example, human speech and how language evolved. This could enable us to understand and eventually treat language problems more efficiently. That may also be true for things such as autism, and other diseases that seem to be specific to humans.

Tags: genetics, svante paabo, genes, dna, genome, neanderthal, science

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