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Science 24 August 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5841, p. 1036
DOI: 10.1126/science.1141705
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Technical Comments

Comment on Papers by Evans et al. and Mekel-Bobrov et al. on Evidence for Positive Selection of MCPH1 and ASPM

Nicholas Timpson,1 Jon Heron,2 George Davey Smith,1 Wolfgang Enard3*

Evans et al. and Mekel-Bobrov et al. (Reports, 9 September 2005, p. 1717 and 1720, respectively) reported that human genetic variants of Microcephalin (MCPH1) and abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated (ASPM) are under strong positive selection. We genotyped these variants in 9000 children and find no meaningful associations with brain size and various cognitive measures, which indicates that contrary to previous speculations, ASPM and MCPH1 have not been selected for brain-related effects.

1 The MRC Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK.
2 Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK.
3 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: enard{at}eva.mpg.de

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)