ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief outline of basic genetic processes, and compares the human and chimpanzee genomes; and those of modern humans and Neanderthals. It considers the issue of genetics and race. The chapter discusses the distinctive features of the human brain. It then focuses on mirror neurons and theory of mind (ToM) which provides a vital link between biological and socio-cognitive aspects of human nature. The errors that can and do occur when genes are replicated are called mutations. Mutations accumulate more rapidly in mtDNA than in nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Methylation refers to process in which a chemical unit is attached to a gene segment, influencing how much protein it produces. Humans’ highly sophisticated ToM is one of the most unique and powerful faculties of the human brain. Their ToM ability doesn’t rely on their general intelligence but on a specialised set of brain mechanisms that evolved to endow them with their equally important degree of social intelligence.
