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Two parallel neural ectoderm progenitors contribute to the developing brain

664 points · 258 comments · emigre

  1. bethekind · · focus · HN ↗
    > They identified two different brain progenitor cells. One, which expresses a gene called Otx2, is destined to become the forebrain and midbrain. The other, which expresses a gene called Gbx2, is committed to forming the hindbrain. They showed that these two cell populations never overlap; they are mutually exclusive from the earliest stages of development.

    Very cool. Never thought the brain could have two completely different ancestors

    1. kazinator · · focus · HN ↗
      Fun fact: the hindbrain progenitor cell is shaped like a little lizard.
      1. akk0 · · focus · HN ↗
        The lizard brain, not because it resembles the brain of a lizard, but because it's made up of a trillion tiny lizards
        1. TeMPOraL · · focus · HN ↗
          I bet you can tune hyperparameters on the MRI so that the resulting image makes the lizard brain look like a lizard, too.
        2. machomaster · · focus · HN ↗
          Because they are proudly causing animalistic, degenerate behavior like Lizzo.
      2. computerdork · · focus · HN ↗
        Like the thought:) But actually have read that the hypothesis that the hindbrain (or lower brain) had evolved directly from our lizard ancestors while the upper brain (which does more complex types of thought) evolved later turned out to be wrong. Like the study has shown, they evolved at the same time, and many animals had both. It's just in humans, the upper brain evolved much larger in proportion to the lower brain.

        <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thebrainscientist.com&#x2F;2018&#x2F;04&#x2F;11&#x2F;you-dont-have-a-lizard-brain&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;thebrainscientist.com&#x2F;2018&#x2F;04&#x2F;11&#x2F;you-dont-have-a-liz...

        But yeah, evolution is fascinating.

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