I found the Slate Star Codex article about uric acid interesting [1]. The bit about this gene:

> About ten million years ago, the common ancestor of apes and humans got a mutation that broke uricase, causing uric acid levels to rise. The mutation spread very quickly, suggesting that evolution _really_ wanted primates to have lots of uric acid for some reason. Since discovering this, scientists have been trying to figure out exactly what that reason was, with most people thinking it’s probably an antioxidant or neuroprotectant or something else helpful if you’re trying to evolve giant brains.

[1] https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/27/give-yourself-gout-for...