A Mutation Gave Humans the Gift of Speech. These Mice Have It, Too.

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨silence7@slrpnk.net⁩ to ⁨nyt_gift_articles@sopuli.xyz⁩

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/science/a-mutation-gave-humans-the-gift-of-speech-these-mice-have-it-too.html?unlocked_article_code=1.glA.mgh-.FiccGSYneGiu

Scientists wanted to know why the chatter of Alston’s singing mice sounds so much like human conversation. What they found might change how we study both species.

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ech@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
A mutation gave everything the gift of everything. That’s…how it works.

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- Naz@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Akirrrrraaaaaa!
  
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- otter@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  In a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers found that a simple expansion of existing neural pathways allowed these mice to broaden their vocal repertoire — the same mutation believed to have paved the way for the development of human language
  
  I think they meant that its the same mutation both times
  
  The study: www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10458-y
  
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