6533b861fe1ef96bd12c507c
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Next stop: Language : the ?FOXP2? gene?s journey through time
Constance ScharffAdriana Schattonsubject
0301 basic medicineCognitive scienceMultidisciplinaryFOXP2 GeneFossil Recordlanguagedeep homologymedia_common.quotation_subjectspeechevo-devoFOXP2Biology57603 medical and health sciences030104 developmental biologyHistory and Philosophy of ScienceLanguage evolutionFunction (engineering)sensory-motor learningmedia_commondescription
How did humans evolve language? The fossil record does not yield enough evidence to reconstruct its evolution and animals do not talk. But as the neural and molecular substrates of language are uncovered, their genesis and function can be addressed comparatively in other species. FOXP2 is such a case – a gene with a strong link to language that is also essential for learning in mice, birds and even flies. Comparing the role FOXP2 plays in humans and other animals is starting to reveal common principles that may have provided building blocks for language evolution.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-20 |