Today, lead exposure directly correlates to a post-industrialized world. The state of lead todayLead exposure remains a public health issue around the world, even after decades of remediation efforts. One possible reason showed itself soon after the brain organoids were exposed to lead. With a more solid understanding of humanity’s genetic journey, researchers may be able to better mitigate the worst effects of lead exposure, particularly during childhood development. “In this case, lead toxicity could have driven genetic changes that improved survival and our ability to communicate using language,” the study co-author explained before cautioning that those very changes “now also influence our vulnerability to modern lead exposure.”