Human Origins / Early Language

Unearthing the Mayan Creation Myth

Researchers find that the tale of the "Hero Twins" goes back more than 2,000 years. 05.16.2009

Think Animals Don't Think Like Us? Think Again

One extraordinary parrot helped shatter our preconceptions about animal intelligence. 01.20.2009

#39: Amazonian Tribe Doesn't Have Words for Numbers

The Pirahã people overturned scientists' belief about human cognition. 12.15.2008

Chimps Agree: A Bird in Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush

Chimpanzees are downright conservative when it comes to trading for better food. 05.14.2008

"You Just Readed This Headline Correctly"

When it comes to unique verbs, speakers use 'em or lose 'em. 04.10.2008

74. Musical Scales Mimic the Sound of Language

The harmonics of human vocalization may generate the frequencies used in music. 01.14.2008

Jaron's World: The Meaning of Metaphor

A new theory may illuminate the nature of meaning. 02.26.2007

Jaron's World: Sing a Song of Evolution

Is language descended from musical mating calls? 08.01.2006

This Month's Ask Discover

Did Neanderthals and modern humans speak to each other? 07.01.2006

You Say "Ook Ook," I Say "Aak Aak"

Are monkey calls the simian version of local dialects? 06.25.2006

Jaron's World: I Smell, Therefore I Think

Did odors give rise to the first words? 05.27.2006

The Biology of . . .Baby Talk

Why scientists go gaga over infants' goo-goos 12.03.2003

Aping Culture

Chimpanzees speak in dialects, invent odd grooming styles, and drum better than most kids in marching bands. So what's left to separate them from us? 05.01.2000

Dawn of the ABC's

03.01.2000

Suite for Ebony and Phonics

Last year's media uproar over Ebonics missed the point. What's really important is not what kind of language Ebonics isn't, but what kind it is. 12.01.1997

The Bilingual Brain

10.01.1997

Thumb and Thumber

12.01.1996

British Feet

06.01.1996

A Brain That Talks

Our brains are much like those of our primate cousins, so where did we get our uniquely human gift of speech? One human says we simply rewired brain structures devoted to a different, more general primate specialty--vision. 06.01.1996

Say Aah

04.01.1996

Empire of Uniformity

With its vast area and long history of settlement, China ought to have hundreds of distinct languages and cultures. In fact, all the evidence indicates that it once did. So what happened to them all? 03.01.1996

Early Signifiers

05.01.1995

Silence, Signs, and Wonder

What is it about our brains that gives us the capacity for language? 08.01.1994

Writing Right

Some written languages are a precise reflection of a people's speech, while others, like english, are a complete mess. Is this alphabetical evolution? Or the unequal application of logic to literacy? 06.01.1994