General Chat

In the Telegraph last week, the gene that controls human speech has been revealed by a team of scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The FOXP2 gene experienced rapid changes at the same time as language emerged in humans, and the researchers believe it switches on the necessary circuits in the brain for learning speech. The gene has been associated with speech for a while and we already know that people with a mutated or damaged version of the gene struggle with learning languages and how to talk.

To test this theory further, the team looked to our nearest relative, the chimpanzee, to see why we can speak and they can’t.
In this study they revealed that the differences in FOXP2 between the two species were significant, helping to explaining why the ability to communicate differs so widely between humans and chimpanzees.

"Genetic changes between the human and chimp species hold the clues for how our brains developed their capacity for language.” said co-author Dr Genevieve Konopka, from UCLA.

Further applications of this study include sourcing possible treatments for speech conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.

-oOo-

Of course, there's also that fact that chimps do not have a larynx with vocal chords. It remains that chimps understand many human words though cannot reproduce them. They can, however, communicate with humans using sign language.

Another interesting to[ic. i have been away fro a while and so have missed many of your threads.
is your identical twin thread around

bridget

Food for thought