{ "story_id": "d260d9651df7b4ac6735a8baada50a3d", "desk": "drm3", "revision": 1, "published_at": "2026-09-02T15:00:14.000Z", "content_hash": "cd83015be2a163159cff3fd2e489c726e30b481e0ef59b6e1364e000ffc174e2", "hash_basis": "sha256 over `headline\\ndek\\nprose`, plus `\\n` + the canonical citations JSON when any source is placed, plus `\\n#blog` for blogs", "basis": { "headline": "Human-specific gene SRGAP2 slows microglia maturation to support brain development", "dek": "Researchers found a human-specific gene slows microglia maturation, potentially enabling advanced cognitive abilities.", "prose": "Human-specific copies of the gene SRGAP2 cause human microglia to mature over a period of four to eight years, whereas microglia in mice reach maturity in roughly three weeks. [^1]\n\nResearchers at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute found that human-specific copies of the gene SRGAP2 are nearly 10 times more abundant in human microglia than in human neurons. [^2]\n\nScientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute reported in Nature on 2026-09-02 that they mapped the neural circuitry in the electrosensory lobe of the African weakly electric fish to understand how it filters self-generated noise. [^3]\n\nCarlos Diaz-Salazar, PhD, lead author of the study, stated that the slow development of human microglia may help them influence the human brain in ways that enable powerful cognitive abilities. [^4]\n\nFranck Polleux, PhD, principal investigator at the Zuckerman Institute, noted that the gene helps control the developmental tempo of neurons and microglia so they remain in sync during development. [^5]\n\nNathaniel Sawtell, a principal investigator at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute and professor of neuroscience at Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, stated that biological systems have a lot to teach artificial systems regarding continual learning. [^6]\n\nSalomon Muller, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, stated that faster-learning cells in the fish's brain circuitry are more vulnerable to random noise, while slower cells provide stability to cancel out consistent interference. [^7]\n\nThe African weakly electric fish, also known as the elephantnose fish, possesses specialized organs on its skin that emit electric signals to scan the environment and communicate, similar to how bats and dolphins use acoustic signals. 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