The genetic information missing from the human genome may have played a crucial role in human evolution, according to a new study led by scientists at Yale University and the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard.

The study shows that the loss of about 10,000 bits of genetic information during human evolution separates us from our closest relative, the chimpanzee. Some of the insufficient genetic information is closely related to the cognitive functions and genes involved in the formation of cells in the developing brain.

These genetic deletions are found and persist in all humans, suggesting their evolutionary importance.

The researchers used a technology called Massively Parallel Reporter Assays to measure the function of thousands of genetic changes in different species. The findings challenge the notion that new biological functions require new DNA fragments, and show that deletion of the genetic code can have profound implications for biological advantages.