Hacker News front pageAlice Klein3 min readintro
Our brain evolved from two primitive nervous systems that merged: Study
Summary
A new study shows that the forebrain and hindbrain develop from distinct progenitor cells (OTX2‑expressing and GBX2‑expressing) in mouse, human, chicken, zebrafish and acorn worm embryos, suggesting the vertebrate brain originated from the merger of two primitive nervous systems over 550 M years ago. This insight enabled the first successful in‑vitro generation of human hindbrain motor neurons.
- Fore‑ and hindbrain lineages are separable at the progenitor stage (OTX2 vs GBX2).
- Using the correct progenitor type allows functional hindbrain motor neurons to be cultured from human cells.
- The two‑origin pattern is conserved across several model organisms, implying an ancient evolutionary event.
The work is a breakthrough for developmental neurobiology and disease modeling (e.g., ALS, spinal muscular atrophy) because it provides a reliable source of human hindbrain neurons, which were previously difficult to obtain. However, the article offers no engineering insight, code, or systems desig…
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