[language] [Fwd: [evol-psych] Gene mutations linked to language development]

H.M. Hubey hubeyh at mail.montclair.edu
Mon Aug 19 00:51:10 UTC 2002


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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [evol-psych] Gene mutations linked to language development
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 16:24:18 -0600
From: Ian Pitchford <ian.pitchford at scientist.com>
Reply-To: Ian Pitchford <ian.pitchford at scientist.com>
Organization: http://human-nature.com/
To: evolutionary-psychology at yahoogroups.com



August 15, 2002

GENE MUTATIONS LINKED TO LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
from The Washington Post

Two critical mutations appeared roughly 200,000 years ago in a gene linked
to language, then swept through the population at roughly the same time
anatomically modern humans began to dominate the planet, according to new
research.

The findings, released online yesterday and due for publication soon in the
journal Nature, provide the most compelling evidence to date that the gene,
which researchers described in detail only last year, may have played a
central role in the development of modern humans' ability to speak.
Researchers said that could have given them a critical advantage that
allowed them to supplant more primitive rivals.

A mounting body of research suggests that the mutant gene conferred on
human ancestors a finer degree of control over muscles of the mouth and
throat, possibly giving those ancestors a rich new palette of sounds that
could serve as the foundation of language.

"It's a very exciting discovery," said Steven Pinker, a top language expert
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This could be a watershed,
because now that the technique has been successfully used, we can apply it
to other genes with psychological effects. I think it opens the door for a
new field of study."

Full text
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17863-2002Aug14.html





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--
M. Hubey

hubeyh at mail.montclair.edu /\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/http://www.csam.montclair.edu/~hubey



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