Friends or Enemies?

When I was younger, my Dad used to tell me: "Boys dont want to be your friend." He then left the rest to my imagination.

At the time, I didnt agree. I thought: I can crack a good joke, I know how to shoot a hoop, and Im a cheerful person (but not in an annoying way). What kind of boy wouldnt want to be around that kind of girl?

Turns out, my Dad was right. Not to be all "Samantha Brick" about it, but in my experience, single, heterosexual men arent actively looking for an exclusively platonic relationship with a woman they find sexually attractive. This of course is not a revolutionary concept. In fact, it seems pretty natural to me.

Now, I will be the first to say that it is really and truly the most wonderful thing in the world if the attraction is mutual. But the Powers That Be seem to like to play these complicated little mating games with humans where the guy we want to re-enact scenes from 9? Weeks with sees our attractiveness level as akin to that of a discarded dishcloth, and the most physical we could see ourselves being with the guy who actually likes us is a game of ping pong over an especially long table. All of which means that someone usually ends up getting rejected.

Im sure Im not alone when I say I have struggled with the scenario where I am not interested in a man romantically, but I want to keep him as a friend because he is funny and I enjoy his company, or he has shown himself to be that rare specimen known as "a nice, genuine person, " or he simply doesnt mention his therapist in every other sentence.

Rather than string him along and give him hope, I feel compelled to somehow communicate to him sooner rather than later that well just be staying friends, nothing more. Otherwise, I think I am being unfair to him. Why should he waste his romantic stamina on me when there are loads of other single women out there who might fall instantly in love with him?

The thing is, it can sometimes be tricky to reject a man and keep him as a friend. If the operation is not executed carefully, you may end up creating a "menemy."

It requires a certain amount of skill to be able to turn down a mans sexual advances or romantic gestures and then get him to agree to meet you for blueberry pancakes the following weekend and chat about the latest Woody Allen film. Some men arent satisfied with just that. Im not clear why. Whats so bad about friendship? Everyone needs buddies. But Ive seen men react poorly or simply fall off the face of the earth. I get it -- their feelings are hurt. None of us likes getting rejected. But in my experience, some men find it especially soul-crushing.

I am only bringing all of this up because I recently had to go through this scenario again. I had spent some time cultivating a friendship with a man who, in my defense, I thought was gay. So I didnt see the harm in him buying me the occasional falafel, or accepting an invitation to see a film with him. Isnt that what friends are for? But a mutual friend shed light on his sexual orientation (straight) and suggested that his intentions -- and attentions -- werent platonic. He had never "made the moves" but now it was all crystal clear -- that explains the way he had looked at me that time the tahini sauce dribbled down my chin!

Since he had clearly been too timid to express his feelings, I thought I would be clever this time and subtly mention the dates I had been going on, focusing on the one guy I was kind of keen on, so that he would know that I was "unavailable" for heavy petting and those sorts of activities, but that I was available for things like roller skating, falafel-eating and shooting the breeze. Doesnt that sound nice? That way, he would known not to try to lean in for a kiss, and I wouldnt have to pull the Stevie Wonder dance and dodge him went he went for it. It was like pre-rejection, yet I was sparing his feelings because he didnt even have to put himself out there! I really thought I was being brilliant.

It backfired, of course. Said man ended up sending me an email rant accusing me of being insensitive by talking about other men when he had "feelings for me." As if I am psychic, by the way, just because I am a woman! How was I supposed to know that? I think in his mind we were dating. In my mind, he was my new gay BFF. In the end, I got mad at him for getting mad at me, and now the friendship has ended.

And I have created yet another "menemy."

Look, I have also tried the direct thing: "I really like you, but only as a friend, " but you can only do that when the guy has made his intentions clear, and in my experience, they either cope okay (though rarely do I feel much enthusiasm for friendship after that), or they really dont cope well. I also tried the thing where you make them think they are rejecting you, but it gets quite confusing and only works if the guy isnt very sharp, and why would I -- or you -- be hanging out with someone not that sharp in the first place?

As we all remember, Billy Crystals character says men and women cant be friends in When Harry Met Sally because the sex stuff gets in the way. I do have single, male, heterosexual friends with whom I have an easy, non-romantic rapport, but I honestly dont know if they would walk away if I was sprawled naked on a bed calling out to them. I may not be everybodys cup of tea, but sometimes, I wonder if they wonder. And they may wonder if I wonder. If so, I hope theyll keep it to themselves.

被拒后：朋友亦或敵人？

那時(shí)我并不以為然，認(rèn)為憑自己的幽默詼諧，灌籃嫻熟，開朗活潑的性格，又有那一個(gè)男孩不喜歡在這樣的女孩身邊呢？

但結(jié)果證明父親是對(duì)的。對(duì)此不需要太自戀（Samantha Brick，自由專欄女作家曾寫過(guò)為什么女人恨我等文章，有英版芙蓉姐姐之稱），但以我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)來(lái)說(shuō)，單身異性戀男士在他們認(rèn)為極具吸引力的女性身上并不想只是尋求一份簡(jiǎn)單的柏拉圖式的關(guān)系。當(dāng)然這一概念并沒(méi)有什么開創(chuàng)性，事實(shí)上在我看來(lái)再自然不過(guò)了。

首先我要說(shuō)的是兩情相悅的確是世界上最為美妙事。但上帝卻好似很喜歡玩這種復(fù)雜的配對(duì)游戲，要么是通過(guò)九個(gè)半周的交往后，我們想與之確定關(guān)系的男孩認(rèn)為我們的吸引力指數(shù)同丟棄的抹布不相上下，要么就是我們對(duì)中意我們的男孩不起化學(xué)反應(yīng)，兩人總是像隔著一長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的桌臺(tái)打乒乓球一般。結(jié)果都是以另一方被拒而告終。

有些異性我雖然不想和他交往，但很想和他做朋友，因?yàn)樗哪溨C，有他陪在身邊我會(huì)很開心,或者他友好善良并且為人真誠(chéng)（這一類人可是稀缺性品種），或者是他不是每隔一句便提起他的理療師。我敢說(shuō)這種情形你也經(jīng)歷過(guò)吧。

我認(rèn)為有必要對(duì)他說(shuō)明白我們之間只會(huì)是朋友這種關(guān)系這么簡(jiǎn)單，僅此而已。說(shuō)這些話宜早不宜晚，而不是將他帶在身邊給他希望。不然對(duì)他來(lái)說(shuō)是不公平的。外面那么多單身女性，她們或許會(huì)對(duì)他一見鐘情，為什么要讓他白白浪費(fèi)精力放在我身上呢？

但有時(shí)在拒絕一位男士后要想和他保持朋友關(guān)系，這種情況頗為棘手。如果處理不當(dāng)，結(jié)果是你可能會(huì)結(jié)下梁子。

要想拒絕異性的追求或是一些曖昧舉動(dòng)，同時(shí)還要讓他同意下一周他依然可以和你會(huì)面，邊品嘗藍(lán)莓煎餅邊談?wù)撐榈习瑐悎?zhí)導(dǎo)的電影，這的確需要一定的技巧。有些男士對(duì)此不以為意。我不清楚他們的原因，做朋友難道不好嗎？每個(gè)人都有自己的朋友呀。但是我確實(shí)見到有些男性在被拒絕后反應(yīng)很糟糕，有的甚至好似在地球蒸發(fā)了一樣再也沒(méi)見到他的面。我明白--他們受傷了。沒(méi)有人喜歡被別人拒絕。根據(jù)我的經(jīng)驗(yàn)甚至有些男士認(rèn)為被拒讓人精神崩潰。

提起這些是因?yàn)樽罱揖陀龅搅诉@種情況。前段時(shí)間我和位異性發(fā)展著朋友關(guān)系，我起初一直以為他是同性戀。所以他時(shí)不時(shí)給我買三明治，或是邀請(qǐng)我去看電影，我都沒(méi)覺(jué)得有什么問(wèn)題。朋友不就是做這些嗎？但朋友間是需要彼此都明白各人的性取向的（他是異性戀）還要暗示對(duì)方他的想法意圖并不是柏拉圖之類。他從未做出曖昧舉動(dòng)，但事實(shí)上，他看我臉上有芝麻醬的眼神就已經(jīng)說(shuō)的很明白了。

他有些膽怯還沒(méi)有袒露對(duì)我的感情，所以我想這次我可以聰明些向他委婉的提下我最近一直和某個(gè)男生在交往，并對(duì)這個(gè)我頗為動(dòng)心的男生十分用心。不用說(shuō)他就明白戀人間得耳鬢廝磨不屬于我和他，而類似滑冰，吃吃三明治呀，或閑聊呀我都沒(méi)問(wèn)題。我這樣做是不是還不錯(cuò)呀？這樣他就明白不要試著前傾身子去吻我，我也不會(huì)用以要學(xué)史蒂威·旺達(dá)舞蹈為借口來(lái)躲避他的不軌舉動(dòng)。在他未向我表白前我就已然拒絕他了，我認(rèn)為這招妙哉。

當(dāng)然結(jié)果是事與愿違。此男再給我發(fā)送的郵件中激昂痛罵我多么沒(méi)有感情：明知道他對(duì)我的情意卻當(dāng)著他的面談?wù)撈渌猩H僅因?yàn)槲沂桥?，好像我就是神?jīng)病一樣。我哪知道這些呀？我認(rèn)為在他心里我們就一直在約會(huì)，而在我心里卻把他當(dāng)做可以做一輩子的同性戀朋友。最后，因?yàn)樗麑?duì)我生氣，我也對(duì)他動(dòng)了氣，友情也就戛然而止了。

我又結(jié)下了一段梁子。

你瞧，我也試過(guò)用較為直接的方式回絕男生，“我真的很喜歡你，但只是出于朋友間的喜歡而已?！边@招僅適用于當(dāng)此男表明了他的感情時(shí)候。在我經(jīng)驗(yàn)中，有些男生反應(yīng)還可以（盡管隨后我覺(jué)得他同我做朋友的熱情度大打折扣），有些男生對(duì)此應(yīng)對(duì)得不是太好。還有一招我也用過(guò)，就是讓他們感覺(jué)是他們?cè)诰芙^你，這招頗具有迷惑性且對(duì)象僅適用于頭腦不是很敏捷的男生。但話又說(shuō)回來(lái)，我怎么會(huì)和一個(gè)頭腦不靈光的男生交往呢？

我們都會(huì)記得在當(dāng)哈利遇上莎莉這部電影中比利克里斯托扮演的角色曾說(shuō)：男人和女人從來(lái)不會(huì)是朋友，因?yàn)椤澳信袆e”。我的確有一些單身異性戀的男性朋友，我和他們之間也處的輕松隨意，無(wú)關(guān)乎風(fēng)月，但我真的不知道要是我懶洋洋赤身裸體于床上，大聲喚著他們，他們是否會(huì)決然走開呢？我或許不是每個(gè)人的菜，但有時(shí)我想他們是否會(huì)考慮我是不是他們喜歡的類型，或許他們也會(huì)想我會(huì)不會(huì)有同樣的念頭。如果是這樣的話，希望他們緘口不提保密于心吧。

Living With My Teenage Genius

AS HER son Cameron sits at his laptop completing an assignment for his maths degree course Alison Thompson is busy helping her daughter Emma get dressed.

Nothing unusual there, except that at just 14 Cameron is a highly gifted maths prodigy, while Emma is 12 and severely autistic.

Having two children with such contrasting abilities has at times been a challenge, admits full-time mum Alison, 34, who also has 10-year-old daughter Bethany.

While help has always been readily available for Emma, Alison and her husband Rod, 37, a computer programmer, have had to fight to get Cameron the support he needs. “People could see that Emma has special needs but because Cameron was doing so well at school his teachers never thought there was a problem. They refused to acknowledge that he was gifted, ” says Alison.

Admittedly it took Alison and Rod a while to realise their son was different. “Cameron was our first child and we didn’t really have anything to compare him with. He always had a very impressive vocabulary and we knew he was bright but he didn’t reach his milestones exceptionally early and there were no other real signs.”

It was only when he began primary school that his abilities became clear. “He used to cry when it was time to come home, ” recalls Alison. “He just always wanted to learn more.”

On one occasion he even corrected the teacher when she told the class that zero was the lowest number. Cameron told her she was wrong because there were negative numbers. He was four at the time.

By the time he was seven, Cameron, who lives with his family in Wrexham, North Wales, was leaps and bounds ahead of his classmates. It was also clear that he was suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism. Children with Asperger’s typically find social interaction incredibly difficult and can become obsessive and inflexible.

“Not only was he getting bored at school but he didn’t know when to keep quiet and had no idea how to pick up on social cues, ” says Alison, who along with Rod started to put pressure on the school for extra support for their son.

Now 14 Cameron is at secondary school, studying for a distance learning maths degree with the Open University, having sailed through his GCSE at 11 and his A-level at 12, achieving top grades.

Today it is clear that this slightly built, engaging and awkward teenager is gifted but it has been a battle to get the authorities to acknowledge his needs.

“I don’t think the teachers had a clue what to do with a gifted child, ” says Alison. “We were worried about being labelled as pushy parents but there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting the best for your child. I think the teachers thought we were trying to drive Cameron with his maths but the drive came from him.”

Frustrated, the Thompsons considered home education – Cameron was also being targeted by bullies – but they thought it would hamper their son socially.

By his final year of primary school, Cameron had become bored and disruptive but fortunately when he moved to senior school teachers there took his talents seriously and he was encouraged to do more advanced maths work.

“He steamed through the GCSE syllabus in just three months, ” says Alison. “For the first time in ages he seemed really happy.”

Then his parents had to decide what to do next. Some gifted children are sent to university early but Alison and Rod felt this wasn’t right for Cameron. “What would he have in common with the other students?” she asks. “I just don’t understand these parents who are so ambitious that they lose all sight of their child.

“I was once contacted by a mother who told me her five-year-old was interested in taking a GCSE. I mean, really? What five-year-old has actually heard of a GCSE? When Cameron was five all he wanted was to be a train driver.”

Alison admits she is baffled by much of her son’s degree course. Even Rod, who has a maths degree himself, struggles to keep up. Yet they are careful never to compare Cameron with his sisters.

Bethany is bright too but not gifted. Sociable and artistic she is the one who will remind absent minded Cameron to put on his coat. She also helps him out in social situations. “Bethany could make friends in an empty room, ” says Alison proudly. “Having siblings with such different needs has made her very accepting.”

Emma attends a specialist school and the family is quick to celebrate her successes too. “The other day she did up the buttons on her coat which was real progress, ” Alison says.

The Thompsons try to live a normal life. Late last year they took part in a fly-on-the-wall television documentary to prove that not all gifted children are the result of overly ambitious parents. Cameron, who is also a brown belt in karate, was happy to take part as he had always wanted to be on TV.

“There is so much help out there for children like Emma but hardly anything at all for those at the other end of the spectrum, ” says Alison. “Gifted children need support too but their lives don’t have to be that different to anyone else’s. Cameron is proof of that.”

家有神童

艾莉森?湯普森家有三個(gè)孩子，三個(gè)孩子個(gè)個(gè)不同。一個(gè)是天賦異稟的小神童，一個(gè)是自閉癥兒童，還有一個(gè)卻在社交方面表現(xiàn)出眾。艾莉森是怎樣撫養(yǎng)他們的？她遇到了哪些困難？

當(dāng)艾莉森?湯普森的兒子卡梅倫坐在電腦前完成他的數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)士學(xué)位課作業(yè)時(shí)，她忙著幫她的女兒?，敶┖靡路?。

很平常的場(chǎng)景，除了14歲的卡梅隆是一個(gè)非常有天賦的數(shù)學(xué)神童，而12歲的艾瑪則是嚴(yán)重的自閉癥患者。

艾莉森承認(rèn)撫養(yǎng)兩個(gè)反差很大的孩子有時(shí)是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。34歲的艾莉森是一個(gè)全職母親，他同時(shí)還有一個(gè)10歲的女兒伯達(dá)尼。

艾瑪總是及時(shí)獲得幫助的那一個(gè)，而艾莉森和她的程序員丈夫羅德不得不為卡梅隆爭(zhēng)取他所需要的支持。“大家都知道艾瑪有特殊需要，但因?yàn)榭穫愒趯W(xué)校表現(xiàn)優(yōu)秀，他的老師從來(lái)沒(méi)有想過(guò)他的問(wèn)題。他們拒絕承認(rèn)他是天才，”艾莉森說(shuō)。

誠(chéng)然，艾莉森和羅德也不是一開始就發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的兒子有什么不同。 “卡梅隆是我們的第一個(gè)孩子，我們真的沒(méi)有什么可以比較。他的詞匯量一直佷令人驚訝，我們知道他聰明，但在他的階段性發(fā)展中，他沒(méi)有提前很多，也有沒(méi)有其他明顯的跡象?！?

直到他上小學(xué)，他的能力才變得明顯?！斑^(guò)去一到回家的時(shí)候，他就哭，”艾莉森。 “他只是想學(xué)更多的知識(shí)。”

有一次，他甚至還糾正了老師。當(dāng)老師告訴同學(xué)零是最小的數(shù)字時(shí)，卡梅倫告訴她，她錯(cuò)了，因?yàn)橛胸?fù)數(shù)。那時(shí)候他四歲。

七歲的卡梅倫與他的家人住在北威爾士最大的城市雷克瑟姆（Wrexham），那時(shí)候他已經(jīng)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)他的同學(xué)。但很明顯，他很患有阿斯伯格綜合癥，這是自閉癥的一種形式?；加邪⑺共窬C合癥的兒童通常在社會(huì)交往上存在困難，還可能變得執(zhí)著而頑固。

“他在學(xué)校不僅感到厭煩，還不知道什么時(shí)候應(yīng)當(dāng)保持安靜，無(wú)法理解人際交流中的隱藏含義，”艾莉森說(shuō)。她和羅德開始向?qū)W校施壓，以求他們的兒子獲得額外的幫助。

14歲的卡梅隆目前還在中學(xué)階段，已經(jīng)開始攻讀開放大學(xué)函授數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)位。11歲他通過(guò)了GCSE課程，12歲通過(guò)A-level課程，并且都取得了優(yōu)異的成績(jī)。

毋庸置疑，這個(gè)清瘦、有魅力卻有點(diǎn)古怪的青少年是有天賦的，但讓當(dāng)局承認(rèn)他的需求卻是一場(chǎng)艱苦的戰(zhàn)斗。

“我不認(rèn)為教師們知道該怎么教育一個(gè)有天賦的孩子，”艾莉森說(shuō)。 “我們害怕被當(dāng)作為愛出風(fēng)頭的父母，但希望孩子獲得最好的教育這一點(diǎn)絕對(duì)沒(méi)有錯(cuò)。老師認(rèn)為是我們要求卡梅隆學(xué)數(shù)學(xué)，但實(shí)際上那是他主動(dòng)要學(xué)的?！?

他們的嘗試受到打擊，卡梅倫也成為了眾矢之的，隨后他們想到了家庭教育，但又覺(jué)得這不利于孩子社會(huì)化的培養(yǎng)。

到卡梅倫小學(xué)最后一年時(shí)，他已經(jīng)開始無(wú)聊到搗亂了，所幸升學(xué)后那里的老師很看重他的天賦，并鼓勵(lì)他學(xué)習(xí)高年級(jí)的數(shù)學(xué)。

“他在短短三個(gè)月內(nèi)學(xué)完了GCSE課程教學(xué)大綱，”艾莉森說(shuō)， “他似乎很久沒(méi)那么高興了。”

然后，他的父母不得不決定下一步做什么。一些天才兒童提前進(jìn)入大學(xué)，但艾莉森和羅德覺(jué)得這樣對(duì)卡梅倫不好。 “他與其他學(xué)生有什么共同點(diǎn)？”她問(wèn)， “我只是不明白有些家長(zhǎng)是如此雄心勃勃，卻全然忘記了他們的孩子。"

“曾經(jīng)又一位母親告訴我，她5歲的女兒想要參加GCSE考試。我在想，這會(huì)是真的嗎？ 一個(gè)5歲的孩子真的了解GCSE是什么嗎？當(dāng)卡梅倫5歲時(shí)，他就想當(dāng)一名火車司機(jī)?！?

艾莉森承認(rèn)，她對(duì)兒子的學(xué)位課程感到困惑。即使擁有數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)位的羅德也不見得能跟上。然而，他們很小心，從來(lái)不拿卡梅隆與他的妹妹們做比較。

伯達(dá)尼也很聰明，但算不上天賦異稟。善于交際、喜歡藝術(shù)的她會(huì)提醒心不在焉的卡梅隆把他的外套穿上，她還回在社交場(chǎng)合為哥哥解圍。 “即使在一個(gè)空房間里，伯達(dá)尼也能交朋友，” 艾莉森驕傲地說(shuō)， “有不同需求的兄弟姐妹，讓她變得很包容?！?

艾瑪就讀的是一所特殊學(xué)校，家里人也會(huì)即時(shí)為她的每一次成功慶祝。 “有一天，她自己系上了衣服上所有的扣子，這絕對(duì)是進(jìn)步，”艾莉森說(shuō)。

湯普森一家嘗試著像正常家庭那樣去生活。去年年底，他們參加了一個(gè)觀察式電視紀(jì)錄片的拍攝，向大家證明并不是所有的天才兒童都是過(guò)于雄心勃勃的父母造就的。同時(shí)是空手道棕帶的卡梅倫很高興參加這次紀(jì)錄片拍攝，因?yàn)樗恢毕肷想娨暋?

“社會(huì)給了像艾瑪這樣的孩子許多幫助，但對(duì)于天才兒童幾乎沒(méi)有任何幫助，”艾莉森說(shuō)。 “天才兒童也需要支持，但他們的生活并沒(méi)有和其他人太不同?？穫惥褪莻€(gè)例子?！?/p>

10 Biggest Puzzles of Human Evolution

NOBODY would mistake a human for a chimpanzee, yet we share more DNA than mice and rats do. How can that be? Advances in genomics are starting to unravel the mystery.

Line up the genomes of humans and chimps side by side and they differ by little more than 1 per cent. That may not seem like much, but it equates to more than 30 million point mutations. Around 80 per cent of our 30, 000 genes are affected, and although most have just one or two changes (Gene, vol 346, p 215), these can have dramatic effects. The protein made by the human geneFOXP2, which helps us to speak, differs from its chimp counterpart by just two amino acids, for example. And small changes in the microcephalin andASPM genes may underlie big differences in brain size between humans and chimps.

But protein evolution is only part of what makes us human. Also critical are changes in gene regulation - when and where genes are expressed during development - says James Noonan of Yale University. Mutations in key developmental genes are likely to be fatal. But, he says: "Altering the expression of a gene in a single tissue or at a single time can more easily lead to an innovation that is not lethal." Noonans lab is one of many that are busy comparing gene expression in tissues such as the brain to home in on the key regulatory difference between chimps and humans, most of which have still to be uncovered.

Then theres gene duplication. This can give rise to families of genes that diversify and take on new functions, says Evan Eichler at the University of Washington in Seattle. His lab has identified uniquely human gene families that affect many aspects of our biology, from the immune system to brain development. He suspects that gene duplication has contributed to the evolution of novel cognitive capacities in humans, but at a cost: greater susceptibility to neurological disorders.

Copying errors mean whole chunks of DNA have been accidentally deleted. Other chunks find themselves in new locations when mobile genetic elements jump around the genome or viruses integrate themselves into our DNA. The human genome contains more than 26, 000 of these so-called INDELs, many linked with differences in gene expression between humans and chimps (Mobile DNA, vol 2, p 13).

Even a complete catalogue of genetic differences will not solve the mystery. Much of what makes us human is cultural, passed from generation to generation by learning, says Ajit Varki at the University of California, San Diego. Whats more, he says, The co-evolution of genes and culture is a major force in human evolution, famously leaving the descendents of dairy farmers able to digest milk protein, for example. To crack the mystery of human uniqueness we need to know how genomes build bodies and brains, how brains create culture, and how culture eventually feeds back to alter the genome. It remains a distant goal.

人類進(jìn)化十大謎（之一）：我們與黑猩猩：形不似而基因似？人類和黑猩猩外貌迥異，沒(méi)有人會(huì)搞錯(cuò)，但這兩者間的基因相似度卻很高，高過(guò)野鼠和家鼠之間的基因相似度。這怎么可能呢？基因組學(xué)研究正在解開這個(gè)謎底。

把人類和黑猩猩的染色體組并排比較，二者差異略高于百分之一?？此撇欢啵珔s相當(dāng)于三千多萬(wàn)的點(diǎn)突變。我們30,000個(gè)基因的約百分之八十都會(huì)受影響，盡管多數(shù)僅有一兩處變異（見《基因》第346卷第215頁(yè)），但影響可能十分巨大。比如，人類FOXP2基因所制造的蛋白質(zhì)作用于我們的語(yǔ)言能力，只有兩個(gè)氨基酸與黑猩猩的相應(yīng)蛋白質(zhì)不同。此外，微腦磷脂和ASPM基因里的細(xì)微差別可能決定了人類和黑猩猩大腦尺寸的巨大差異。

但是，蛋白質(zhì)的進(jìn)化只是造就人類的部分原因。耶魯大學(xué)詹姆斯?努南（James Noonan）說(shuō)，基因規(guī)則的變化同等重要——在生長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中基因何時(shí)何地進(jìn)行表達(dá)。關(guān)鍵性發(fā)展基因的突變很可能致命。不過(guò)他說(shuō)：“改變單一組織的基因表達(dá)或僅改變一次某個(gè)基因的表達(dá)更容易帶來(lái)安全的創(chuàng)新?！迸系膶?shí)驗(yàn)室忙于比較黑猩猩和人類大腦等組織之間的基因表達(dá)，找出關(guān)鍵性的規(guī)則差異；從事這一工作的實(shí)驗(yàn)室還很多，大多尚不為世人所知。

此外還有基因復(fù)制。西雅圖華盛頓大學(xué)的伊萬(wàn)?艾克勒（Evan Eichler）說(shuō)，由此可能產(chǎn)生多樣化和具備新功能的基因族。唯有他的實(shí)驗(yàn)室找出了影響了我們免疫系統(tǒng)到大腦發(fā)展等多個(gè)方面生物性的基因族。他懷疑基因復(fù)制對(duì)人類新認(rèn)知能力的進(jìn)化起著作用，不過(guò)是有代價(jià)的：更容易神經(jīng)紊亂。

復(fù)制錯(cuò)誤就意味著整段的DNA被意外刪除。別的基因段進(jìn)入新的位置，基因組附近出現(xiàn)活動(dòng)的基因成分，或者病毒融入我們的DNA。人類的基因組包含26000多個(gè)這種所謂的基因插入/缺失（INDEL），許多都和人類與黑猩猩之間的基因表達(dá)差異相關(guān)（《可移動(dòng)的DNA》第2卷第13頁(yè)）。

即使取得完整的基因差異圖也無(wú)法揭開這個(gè)謎團(tuán)。加州大學(xué)圣地亞哥分校的阿吉特?瓦基（Ajit Varki）說(shuō)，造就人類的主要是代代傳承的文化。他還說(shuō)，基因與文化的共同進(jìn)化才是人類進(jìn)化的主要力量，比如這個(gè)眾所周知例子，畜牧業(yè)牧民的后代擅于消化牛奶蛋白。要解開人類特殊性之謎，我們必須了解基因組如何構(gòu)建出身體和大腦，大腦如何創(chuàng)造文化，文化最終又如何反過(guò)來(lái)改變基因組。這個(gè)目標(biāo)依然遙遠(yuǎn)。