October 19, 2001

Scientists Find the First Gene Linked to Human Communication

By Richard Monastersky

As a species, we are what we speak. Nothing defines humanity so much as our ability to communicate abstract thoughts, whether about love, dreams, or remembering to take out the garbage tomorrow morning. Scientists have long tried to understand when and how the knack for talking developed, but they have been stymied by the complexity of the problem. Now a windfall from the Human Genome Project and a chance discovery by scientists in Britain point the way toward a solution.

By studying

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