Thursday, October 18, 2007

Neanderthal language gene?

News flash ... from here:
Neanderthals, an archaic human species that dominated Europe until the arrival of modern humans some 45,000 years ago, possessed a critical gene known to underlie speech, according to DNA evidence retrieved from two individuals excavated from El Sidron, a cave in northern Spain.

The new evidence stems from analysis of a gene called FOXP2 which is associated with language. The human version of the gene differs at two critical points from the chimpanzee version, suggesting that these two changes have something to do with the fact that people can speak and chimps cannot.
I'll try to follow up on this later ... .

4 comments:

The Ridger, FCD said...

FOXP2 is really a vocalization gene, isn't it? That's what they're saying over at the Log, anyway.

Mr. Verb said...

Yeah, that's how it looks. Damn, I was hoping for something exciting and dramatic, not another wild goose chase. Sigh.

The Ridger, FCD said...

Check John Hawks Anthropology Weblog for a good wrap-up on this topic

Mr. Verb said...

Truly, the comments on this blog are far more valuable than the blog itself! Thanks.