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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open
Journal article
Impact of intermittent lead exposure on hominid brain evolution
Science advances, Vol.11(42), pp.1-21
15/10/2025
PMID: 41091888
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Abstract
Gene-environmental interactions shape the evolution of brain architecture and function. Neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1) is one gene that distinguishes modern humans from extinct hominids. However, the evolutionary pressures that selected the modern NOVA1 allele remain elusive. Here, we show using fossil teeth that several hominids (Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, early Homo sp., Gigantopithecus blacki, Pongo sp., Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo sapiens) were consistently exposed to lead over 2 million years, contradicting the idea that lead exposure is solely a modern phenomenon. Moreover, lead exposure on human brain organoids carrying the archaic NOVA1 variant disrupts FOXP2 expression in cortical and thalamic organoids, a gene crucial for the development of human speech and language abilities. Overall, the fossil, cellular, and molecular data support that lead exposure may have contributed to the impact of social and behavioral functioning during evolution, likely affording modern humans a survival advantage.
Details
- Title
- Impact of intermittent lead exposure on hominid brain evolution
- Creators
- Renaud Joannes-Boyau - Southern Cross UniversityJanaina Sena de Souza - University of California, San DiegoManish Arora - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiChristine Austin - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiKira Westaway - Macquarie UniversityIan Moffat - Flinders UniversityWei Wang - Shandong UniversityWei Liao - Shandong UniversityYingqi Zhang - Chinese Academy of SciencesJustin W Adams - University of JohannesburgLuca Fiorenza - Monash UniversityFlora Dérognat - Southern Cross UniversityMarie-Helene Moncel - Institut de Paléontologie HumaineGary T Schwartz - Arizona State UniversityMarian Bailey - Southern Cross UniversityFilipe F Dos Santos - Hospital Sírio-LibanêsGabriela D A Guardia - Hospital Sírio-LibanêsRafael L V Mercuri - Hospital Sírio-LibanêsPedro A F Galante - Hospital Sírio-LibanêsBlake L Tsu - NGeneBioAI Inc. (USA, San Diego)Aline M A Martins - Sanford Consortium for Regenerative MedicineChristopher A Barnes - NGeneBioAI Inc. (USA, San Diego)John Yates, 3rd - Scripps Research InstituteLuiz Pedro Petroski - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do ParanáSandra M Sanchez-Sanchez - University of California, San DiegoJose Oviedo - University of ArizonaRoberto H Herai - Pontifícia Universidade Católica do ParanáBernardo Lemos - University of ArizonaMatthew Tonge - Southern Cross UniversityAlysson R Muotri - University of California, San Diego
- Publication Details
- Science advances, Vol.11(42), pp.1-21
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); WASHINGTON
- Grant note
- This work was supported by the UCSD Archaealization Center (ArchC), the Neanderthal Brain Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01MH100175) (A.R.M.) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM DISC4-16377) (A.R.M.).
- Identifiers
- 991013323109902368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Authors, some rights reserved
- Academic Unit
- Office of Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article