#foxp2

[neurosciencenews]

Study Challenges Evolution of How Humans Acquired Language

Analysis of genetic data from a diverse sample of modern people and Neanderthals saw no evidence for recent, human-specific selection of FOXP2 and revises the history of how we think humans acquired language.

The research is in Cell. (full access paywall)

[epideixis]

In three generations of the KE family in London, about half of the family members had a severe speech and language defect. The pattern of inheritance suggested that it was caused by a dominant autosomal allele form of a gene... The gene was identified as FOXP2 because of its similarity to a family of the forkhead box transcription factors that are involved in turning on and off the expression of other genes. FOXP2 is expressed in a variety of adult and fetal tissues in addition to the developing brain. The one mutation in that gene found in the KE family essentially prevented that copy of the gene from functioning. Since we each have two copies of every gene... the affected members of the KE family had only half the usual amount of the FOXP2 protein expressed. The link of FOXP2 to vocalization is also found in birds, mice, and echolocating bats.... The expression of FOXP2 is upregulated during the post-hatch learning of birdsong (zebra finch) or during singing season (canary). Ultrasonic vocalization in infant mice is significantly decreased if one copy of FOXP2 is deleted; if both copies are deleted, there is no vocalization and premature death. Echolocating bats... have an unusually high number of non-synonymous mutations in FOXP2. It turns out that FOXP2 is a highly conserved gene with no amino acid changes in the chimpanzee line going back some 90 million years to the common ancestor with the mouse. This resistance to change suggests that FOXP2 is extraordinarily important for vertebrate development and survival. But there are two mutations that change amino acids in FOXP2 in the 6 million years of the human line since the common ancestor with the chimpanzee.... One of the human-specific mutations is shared with wolves tigers, and all members of the order Carnivora. Of the two mutations, this is the one which Enard et al. suggest might make the most difference in protein function by providing a potential site for phosphorylation.

Karl C. Diller and Rebecca L. Cann. “Evidence against a genetic-based revolution in language 50,000 years ago.” In The Cradle of Language (OUP 2008) 138-40.

[thelingspace]

We were really excited to get a chance to talk with Dr. Tecumseh Fitch! Dr. Fitch is an evolutionary biologist and cognitive scientist who received his PhD from Brown University, and is now a professor in the Department of Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna. He’s published extensively on the evolution of speech, language, and music, and is the author of the 2010 book The Evolution of Language.

In our interview, we discussed the following topics: - his recent research on whether it's anatomy or neurology holding back monkeys from speech - his thoughts on Darwin's hypotheses about how language may have evolved - how to come up with good hypotheses about how language evolved, given that it doesn't leave fossils - what he believes is different about humans that led to the development of language

... and more! Thanks to Dr. Fitch for talking with us. Looking forward to hearing what people have to say!

[esotericbro]

FOXP2: Did Ancient Aliens leave something behind in our DNA?

Many believe that FOXP2 gene alone is responsible for language. The problem? There is absolutely no evidence of origin from the animal kingdom towards us.

Ceptics argue that FOXP2 is popularly dubbed the “language gene”, but this is only partly correct since there are other genes involved in language development. Either way, one can not ignore the fact that this gene exists out of nowhere, without any known origin.

Is it possible that this gene was given to us, or grafted into us, by extraterrestrials in the remote past? Did they wanted humans to be able to communicate at a more sophisticated level?

[changchaokan]

映雪漫談20230220除了能量外，影響文明進步的第二個因素是什麼？

雪：一個文明能否進步的關鍵一，在於能否穩定地創造能量。就這點來看，狩獵民族雖然能更有效率的獲取能量，但終究無法與穩定生產能量的農業民族相比。但是，如果以此角度來看，為什麼應該能創造出非常大能量的清朝，最終卻在鴉片戰爭中敗給英國呢？ 我：因為英國正處於工業革命的時刻，所以創造出來的能量高於清朝？ 雪：不，以創造的能量的總量來說，清朝應該仍優於英國。話雖如此，但清朝，在調動軍隊的速度上，效率是比不上英國的。 我：也就是說，訊息的傳遞上，清朝比不上英國，所以即使能量總量更高，也沒有完全發揮的關係。 雪：對啊~~所以說，一個文明能否進步的第二個關鍵是如何將訊息迅速且穩定地傳播下去。簡單來說，我們的祖先─智人之所以能夠最終獲勝的關鍵，就是我們的FOXP2基因比其他物種更棒。 我：FOXP2基因？ 雪：這是位於第七染色體上的基因，跟語言有關。 我：換句話說，智人能說話，所以才能戰勝其他…

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[tenth-sentence]

Some time after 200,000 years ago, a mutant form of FOXP2 appeared in the human race, with one or both of the key changes, and that mutant form was so successful in helping its owner to reproduce that his or her descendants now dominate the species to the utter exclusion of all previous versions of the gene.

"Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes Us Human" - Matt Ridley

[ilearnedthistoday]

What is the language gene?

What is the language gene?

       I learned this today. FOXP2 is known as the language gene.        FOXP2 stands for Forkhead box protein P2. Forkhead box proteins bind to a specific DNA sequence to control the rate of information. They are important for cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and longevity. They, and all of the forkhead box proteins, have a region of about 100 amino acids, which is called the…

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[sabkuchgyan]

महिलाओं के बारे में यह बातें शायद ही अपने कभी सुनी हो

महिलाओं के बारे में यह बातें शायद ही अपने कभी सुनी हो #women #interesting #pregnancy #emotional #flexible

भगवान ने औरत के रूप में एक अनोखी और खूबसूरत रचना की है। औरत को देवी का दर्जा दिया गया है। महिला व पुरुष में वैसे तो बहुत सारे अंतर देखने को मिलते हैं, लेकिन आज हम महिलाओं के शरीर से जुड़े कुछ रोचक और हैरान कर देने तथ्य लेकर आपके लिए लेकर आए हैं। चलिए देखते हैं –

AIIMS भोपाल में निकली नॉन फैकेल्टी ग्रुप A के लिए भर्तियाँ – अभी देखें 

सरकारी नौकरी करने के लिए बंपर मौका 8वीं 10वीं 12वीं पास कर सकते…

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