NOT A CHIMP

Are we humans simply remodelled apes? Chimps with a tweak? Is the difference between our genomes so minuscule it justifies the argument that our cognition and behaviour must also differ from chimps by barely a whisker? If “chimps are us” should we grant them human rights? Or is this one of the biggest fallacies in the study of evolution? NOT A CHIMP argues that these similarities have been grossly over-exaggerated - we should keep chimps at arm’s length. Are humans cognitively unique after all?

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Humanized Foxp2 accelerates learning by enhancing transitions from declarative to procedural performance

http://www.pnas.org/content/111/39/14253.abstract.html?etoc

Here's an interesting paper in PNAS which furthers our understanding of how the transcription factor FOXP2 underpins the human language faculty. All the main scientists cited in NOT A CHIMP are among the co-authors - Simon Fisher, Wolfie Enard and Svante Paabo, and their observations stem from transplanting human FOXP2 into mice.

NOT A CHIMP

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Humanized Foxp2 accelerates learning by enhancing transitions from declarative to procedural performance

No comments:

Post a Comment