Genetics and Personhood

Scientists may have discovered the gene that controls the development of the human brain. Here's a quote:

And it's not just that this gene changed a lot. There is also its involvement with the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for some of the more complex brain functions, including language and information processing.

"It looks like in fact it is important in the development of brain," said co-author Sofie Salama, a research biologist at Santa Cruz who led the efforts to identify where the gene is active in the body.

The scientists still don't know specifically what the gene does. But they know that this same gene turns on in human fetuses at seven weeks after conception and then shuts down at 19 weeks, Haussler said.

For those inclined to believe that the imago Dei refers to spirit and personality and not to physical form, perhaps this gives some indication of the earliest moment when fetal formation creates the physiological substrata necessary for unique personhood.