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

For decades, Neanderthals were thought to be our less sophisticated cousins who communicated through basic sounds and simple ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

My son is a wizard. He walks into the kitchen, looks at me and utters the magic words: “Can I have a cheese and tomato sandwich, please?” A few minutes later, just such a snack appears in front of him ...