The article discusses the molecular evolution of the FOXP2 gene, which is crucial for human language development. The FOXP2 gene is located on chromosome 7q31 and encodes a protein belonging to the forkhead class of transcription factors. A point mutation in FOXP2 has been linked to severe articulation difficulties and linguistic and grammatical impairments in humans. The authors sequenced the FOXP2 gene in various primate species, including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, rhesus macaques, and mice, and found that human FOXP2 contains specific amino-acid changes and a pattern of nucleotide polymorphism that suggest recent positive selection during human evolution. These changes, particularly at position 325 in exon 7, may affect the protein's function and could be responsible for the development of proficient spoken language in humans. The study also found evidence of a selective sweep in the human population, indicating that these changes were rapidly fixed after their emergence. The time of fixation of these beneficial alleles is estimated to be within the last 200,000 years, coinciding with the emergence of anatomically modern humans.The article discusses the molecular evolution of the FOXP2 gene, which is crucial for human language development. The FOXP2 gene is located on chromosome 7q31 and encodes a protein belonging to the forkhead class of transcription factors. A point mutation in FOXP2 has been linked to severe articulation difficulties and linguistic and grammatical impairments in humans. The authors sequenced the FOXP2 gene in various primate species, including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, rhesus macaques, and mice, and found that human FOXP2 contains specific amino-acid changes and a pattern of nucleotide polymorphism that suggest recent positive selection during human evolution. These changes, particularly at position 325 in exon 7, may affect the protein's function and could be responsible for the development of proficient spoken language in humans. The study also found evidence of a selective sweep in the human population, indicating that these changes were rapidly fixed after their emergence. The time of fixation of these beneficial alleles is estimated to be within the last 200,000 years, coinciding with the emergence of anatomically modern humans.