Science News
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
Know What I'm Saying? Mais Oui!
12.03.2003
The Biology of . . .Baby Talk
Why scientists go gaga over infants' goo-goos 12.03.2003
The Language Genome Project
11.10.2003
And What Does a Human Say?
05.01.2003
The Art of, Um, Speaking Clearly
11.01.2002
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
Chariot Racers of the Steppes
04.01.1995
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
