A tiny set of ancient genetic “switches” may have played a surprisingly large role in making human language possible.

Humans are the only species known to use fully symbolic language: a system capable of expressing abstract ideas, imaginary ...

Humans' unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago, according to a survey of genomic evidence. As such, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago. It is a deep ...

Language is estimated to have emerged in humans between 100,000 and 1,000,000 years ago 1. The functions of language and the causal drivers in its origins have long been fiercely debated across ...

The Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) fascinate researchers and the general public alike. They remain central to debates about the nature of the genus Homo (the broad biological classification that ...

What makes the human brain distinctive? A new study published in Cell identifies two genes linked to human brain features and provides a road map to discover many more. The research could lead to ...

One of the deepest mysteries about cognition is how human thought differs from that of humanity’s close primate relatives. This question targets the core of human nature itself, simultaneously ...