Researchers say they may have finally discovered the key genetic change that enabled all of modern human speech.
For centuries, scientists have wondered what makes human speech unique. Why can we hold conversations while our closest relatives, like Neanderthals, could not? New research may have uncovered a key piece of the puzzle—a tiny genetic change that exists in modern humans but not in our extinct relatives.
New research centers on a brain protein called NOVA1, which plays a crucial role in how nerve cells process information. Researchers at The Rockefeller University have discovered that a single genetic mutation in NOVA1 may have influenced the development of spoken language, setting early humans apart from other species.
