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Podcast: The DemystifySci Podcast
Episode: Human Hybrids, Autism & Discrete Evolution - Dr. Emily Casanova, Loyola University - DS Pod 271
Description: Dr. Emily Casanova is a professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Loyola University in New Orleans who studies autism, human/neanderthal hybridization, and sundry soft tissue disorders that are often co-inherited with autism. Her research has shown that autism spectrum disorders are underpinned by a complex network of genetic interactions whose first emergence can be traced back to human/neanderthal interbreeding nearly 40,000 years ago. This suggests that, contrary to popular belief, the grounds for autism spectrum disorders long predate the first diagnoses made in the early 20th century. We talk about why it’s so hard to come up wi...