Talking mice? Well, maybe not today, but a team of German scientists, studing the evolution of speech and language, have created transgenic mice with the gene associated with human speech. [ScienceDirect.com]
IO9.com wrote: [link]
So while these experiments may not result in NIMH rodents, who knows what might happen if these mice are left to continue their line with the mutation?The researchers wanted to shed light on how humans developed our language capabilities, including the intricate thought and muscle coordination which allowed us as a species to develop complex language. One gene responsible for that development is the FOXP2 gene. Its absence leads to speech disorders, and its presence is an important component of human speech. Humans and Neanderthals are known to have a specific variation on the FOXP2 gene, though versions of it appear in other mammals and birds.
Posts
2 comments:
The problem is one of size. A mouse just doesn't have the brain matter required to generate speech, even if they have the right genes.
It's not a matter of generating speech. Mice can already communicate (squeak) with the grey matter they have. I think you're trying to say that they don't have enough to start squeaking in English, or to form a complex language system like we humans have.
Post a Comment