C. Boeckx

A multi-layered integrative analysis reveals a cholesterol metabolic program in outer radial glia with implications for human brain evolution

The paper identifies a cholesterol metabolic program in outer radial glia regulated by KLF6 and links it to human brain evolution through integrative analysis of single-cell data and paleogenomic insights.

Human-derived alleles in SOST and RUNX2 3'UTRs cause differential regulation in a bone cell-line model

The paper evaluates the functional impact of 3'UTR variants in SOST and RUNX2 from human and Neanderthal/Denisovan lineages in a bone cell-line model, finding differential regulation linked to bone mineral density.

A distinct brain expression profile for genes within large introgression deserts and under positive selection in Homo sapiens

The paper identifies brain regions with divergent transcriptomic profiles in genes within introgression deserts and under positive selection in humans.

Fine-grained temporal mapping of derived high-frequency variants supports the mosaic nature of the evolution of Homo sapiens

The paper temporally maps high-frequency variants in Homo sapiens to support a mosaic evolutionary model, finding bimodal distributions and time-specific gene enrichments.

An Agent-based model of the gradual emergence of modern linguistic complexity

This study uses an agent-based model to show that optimal hostility and cognitive capacity maximize information transmission, while population size has no significant effect on linguistic complexity.

Modern human changes in regulatory regions implicated in cortical development

The paper identifies regulatory regions with modern human-specific SNVs that affect cortical development genes, particularly those involved in chromatin regulation.

7q11.23 Syndromes Reveal BAZ1B as a Master Regulator of the Modern Human Face and Validate the Self-Domestication Hypothesis

The paper identifies BAZ1B as a master regulator of the modern human face and validates the self-domestication hypothesis through analysis of 7q11.23 CNVs and paleogenetic data.

Converging roles of glutamate receptors in domestication and prosociality

The paper identifies positive selection on glutamate receptor genes in domesticated animals and humans, linking regulatory changes to altered limbic function and social behaviors.

A catalog of single nucleotide changes distinguishing modern humans from archaic hominins

The paper identifies 571 genes with non-synonymous changes at high frequency in modern humans, suggesting they may contribute to uniquely human traits.

Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language

The paper analyzes the evolutionary dynamics of the Chomskyan single-mutant theory of language and finds it unlikely due to probabilistic constraints.