This editorial discusses how genomic studies are being used to understand the origins of language in humans. Researchers are attempting to pinpoint the earliest divergence in modern human populations, specifically between the Khoisan people of southern Africa and the rest, to establish a lower bound for when linguistic capacity developed – at least 135,000 years ago. The article highlights the difficulty in reconstructing very old languages, pointing out that many early languages are "known unknowables," lost to time. It acknowledges the distinction between linguistic capacity and fully formed language, suggesting the former may have predated the latter.
Scientists have discovered a single-celled organism with a fantastically small genome, lacking genes for core metabolic functions, challenging our understanding of what constitutes life.
A new genomic study suggests that the capacity for human language emerged at least 135,000 years ago, coinciding with the initial geographic divergence of Homo sapiens. This capacity likely transitioned into social use around 100,000 years ago, as indicated by symbolic activities in the archaeological record.
Analysis of dozens of ancient genomes reveals that close encounters between Neanderthals and humans took place in a narrow time window. The high-resolution analysis also allowed the authors to track when certain Neanderthal DNA sequences appeared in the H. sapiens genome and determine whether they were retained.
