We have had a paper accepted in Science!
Nishimura T, Tokuda IT, Miyachi S, Dunn JC, Herbst C, Ishimura K, Kaneko A, Kinoshita Y, Koda H, Saers JP, Imai H, Matsuda T, Larsen ON, Jürgens U, Hirabayashi H, Kojima S, Fitch TW. Evolutionary loss of complexity in human vocal anatomy as an adaptation for speech. Science 377, 760-763.
An ongoing debate among scientists, on why chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates cannot speak or sing like humans, has focused mainly on evolutionary changes in human brain development. Attention has now expanded to anatomical changes of the voice box that may have played a role in our capacity to produce complex sounds. Our new paper in Science, reveals that evolution of the human larynx contributed to the stable voices we use to communicate. Unexpectedly, these changes do not include the addition of structures but rather the loss of specific vocal folds or cords in the larynx. Paradoxically, the increased complexity of human communication involved a simplification of our vocal anatomy.
We will post a final pdf of the paper on our Publications page, using the link above.
A fantastic outcome from our long-term collaborations with Tecumseh Fitch and Takeshi Nishimura.
