Koen de Reus recorded 1,000+ hours of pup calls for his PhD at our Institute and Radboud University, with @pieterburen.bsky.social He discovered seal pups take turns when they ‘talk’ and even develop local accents. Surprisingly human!

#LanguageEvolution #VocalLearning

🔍Why use genomes to decode speech?
💡 Genomes show us which genes and pathways make talking, singing, and rhythmic communication possible — and why some species can do it while others can’t.
✨listen here 👉 bit.ly/3Jv9C5f
@vertebrategenomes.bsky.social
🧬 #Genomics 🐦 #SongbirdScience 🗣️ #VocalLearning

Researchers from The Rockefeller University have unearthed intriguing genetic evidence: a protein variant found only in humans that may have helped shape the emergence of spoken language. #neuroskyence #langsky #macroevolution #vocallearning #speech

#AnimalCognition #ZebraFinches #BirdSong #VocalLearning #AnimalBehavior

What Can Birdsong Teach Us About Human Language? #langsky #birdsong #humanspeech #vocalproduction #motorpathway #vocallearning

Human infants start babbling around six months, while marmoset infants babble for a few weeks after birth; both show early brain growth surge that fuels vocal learning. Read more: https://getnews.me/babbling-brains-how-human-infants-and-marmoset-monkeys-learn-language/ #babbling #vocallearning

🐕 Your dog can learn hundreds of human words — and great apes can learn thousands — but neither can say a single one back.

#VocalLearning #EvolutionaryBiology

New paper alert! 🚨
Check out our opinion piece at @BiologyLetters: "The importance of sleep for avian vocal communication."

#animalbehaviour #sleep #birdsong
#vocallearning #birds

This Sea Lion Can Headbang Better Than You—Watch Her Out-Perform Humans at Keeping a Beat: A new study of Ronan, a sea lion famous for her dancing skills, challenges the idea that only vocal learners can match a tempo @SmithsonianMag #SeaLion #AnimalIntelligence #DanceMoves #Headbang #VocalLearning