--- title: "Scientists Grow Petri Dish Mini-Brains With Neanderthal DNA" description: "To study how early humans related to Neanderthals, a team of European scientists grew mini brains from human stem cells that contain Neanderthal DNA." date: "2020-06-18" modified: "2020-06-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-mini-brains-neanderthal-dna" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "mini brains" - "organoid" - "organoids" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Grow Petri Dish Mini-Brains With Neanderthal DNA ![To study how early humans related to Neanderthals, a team of European scientists grew mini brains from human stem cells that contain Neanderthal DNA.]() *\Image: Allan Henderson\* ## Neanderthal Mini-Brains To study how early humans related to the ancient human subspecies known as Neanderthals, [*CNN* reports](), a team of European scientists grew mini-brains from human stem cells that contain Neanderthal DNA and proteins. "We were curious how much of the Neanderthal genome could be explored if you just have access to stem cells from the right people," Grayson Camp, lead author of a [new study]() published in the journal *Stem Cell Reports* today and genomics PhD at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology in Switzerland, told *CNN*. ## DNA Similarities The team analyzed genomes from individuals with Northern European descent and compared them to a [reference Neanderthal genome]() created in 2010 by geneticist Svante Pääbo "to figure out which parts were likely derived from Neanderthals and which parts were not," according to Camp. "Per individual, there's something like between 1 percent and 4 percent of the genome likely derived from Neanderthals," he added. ## Brain Blobs From there, the team grew three-dimensional blobs of brain tissue inside a petri dish. These tiny brains, also called organoids, are often used to test the effects of drugs. They are specifically not "lab-grown Neanderthal brains," as Camp assured *CNN*. "These are human cells, they're not Neanderthal cells but human cells that have Neanderthal DNA naturally inside them," Camp said. The research also could give us insight into the early diet of Neanderthals, he said, and how their traits shaped human ones over thousands of years. **READ MORE:** [Scientists have grown mini brains containing Neanderthal DNA]() \[CNN\] **More on Neanderthals:** *[Lab-Grown Neanderthal Minibrains Reveal How They’re Different From Humans’]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()