Svante Paabo
Director
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Abstract:
Why did humans evolve the capacity for language? To investigate the FOXP2 gene that encodes a transcription factor involved in the development of speech and language in humans, Pääbo modified the gene’s analog in mice by adding sequences found only in the human version. These “humanized” mice learn more rapidly when required to make transitions from declarative to procedural learning. Pääbo proposes that the ability to rapidly proceduralize motor actions was crucial for the evolution of language and speech.