Just as pet mice take to exercise wheels, the lab mice quickly jumped on the track and ran. They got better at it over time, as evidenced by the length of their track-trotting sessions. The gene-mutated mice, however, "displayed slower increases in bout length than [their normal] littermates," the researchers found. Their running speeds were slower, too, another indicator of motor-skill learning. "This suggests that in common ancestors of mouse and man, perhaps Foxp2 had general functions in learning to produce movement sequences, and it has been recruited towards speech functions during human evolution," Fisher said. The findings are published in the latest online edition of Current Biology. Humans may not have been the only species to recruit the gene for communication, either. A recent study on zebra finches found that when the bird's version of the gene was mutated, young songbirds had trouble accurately copying songs sung to them by adult bird "tutors." Even Neanderthals were recently discovered to have a version of Foxp2. Their anatomy probably would have allowed rapid mouth movements, and scientists believe they may have also been able to speak. Robert Berwick, a professor of computational linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, advises to avoid drawing too many conclusions based on the Foxp2 discoveries, however, particularly when they're linked to language. The complex skill still stumps researchers and almost defies description. "If you can't define what it is, why study it from an evolutionary point of view?" Berwick questioned. Nevertheless, Fisher and his team hope future work on the "language gene" may lead to a better understanding of how the gift for gab emerged in humans. The research may also lead to treatments for people suffering from speech disorders caused by genetic defects. Related Links: Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal |
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