Language pervades our lives. The ability to speak has allowed our species to pass knowledge between generations,

articulate complex ideas, and build societies. How did brains evolve to enable this remarkable means of communication? Professor Erich Jarvis at Rockefeller University is using cutting edge technologies in neuroscience and genetics to provide answers to this question. In this podcast he talks about the neuronal circuits and genes involved in vocal learning in songbirds, and how they are related to the neurobiology of language in humans.

Lecture by Dr. Jarvis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAAr95eqd2c

Review articles:

Evolution of vocal learning and spoken language.

https://www-science-org.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aax0287

The neural processing of human spoken language

https://www-science-org.proxy1.library.jhu.edu/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aax0288

Pondering Songbirds and the Evolution of Language with Erich Jarvis