In the NY Times Nicholas Wade has an article on the role that a gene (FOXP2) has in language usage. He points out that this gene attracted attention when a defective version of it was found in a London family that had problems in articulation and aspects of grammar. FOXP2 is found in other species but in a somewhat different form. Chimpanzees and mice have it and Wade describes some recently published research that tansplanted the human version of FOXP2 into mice. Did the mice begin to speak? Will the IRB permit similar work with chimpanzees? Things that make you go "Hmmmmm...".
Wade's article is available at the following addresss: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/science/29mouse.html?_r=1&ref=science The original research article which was published in the journal Cell by Wolfgan Enard and about 50 co-authors is available at this site: http://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(09)00378-X Hmmm, maybe language isn't such a unique human capability after all? -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
