When observing someone interact with something, humans and apes alternate attention between the two subjects. Great apes track events with their eyes in the same way that humans do, according to a study published on Tuesday in the open-access journal PLOS biology by Vanessa Wilson from the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, and colleagues.
The olive colobus, a discreet primate from the forests of the Ivory Coast, surprises by the richness of its vocal communication. According to a study by the University of Neuchâtel and the NCCR Evolving Language, despite its limited vocal repertoire, this little monkey is able to transmit a variety of information by combining its calls according to precise rules!
According to scientists from the University of Zurich and the NCCR Evolving Language, some aspects of language may not be as unique as previously thought. In a new paper, the team of linguists and biologists demonstrate common marmosets are capable of combining more than two calls, with hierarchical rules – something previously believed to be impossible for animals.
Western gorillas travel in cohesive groups. To stay together, they need to coordinate when and where to go. Despite the silverback being the dominant and most powerful individual in the group, researchers from the University of Neuchatel and of the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle observed that all the individuals seem to participate in the decision-making process.
Is there a reason behind the structure of the words we use? Linguist Chundra Cathcart from the University of Zurich and the NCCR Evolving Language investigated a new hypothesis that could explain the relative fewness of words with identical consonants.
This is an agents’ world. Through a transspecies study, researchers from the University of Neuchâtel and NCCR Evolving Language have discovered that great apes could have a similar perception of events as humans. This hints at an ancestral origin of syntax features that are universal in human languages, according to Sarah Brocard and her team.
Extensive social networks between different hunter-gatherer groups in the Congo Basin existed long before agriculture arrived in the region. This continent-wide exchange preserved a cultural diversity that evolved thousands of years ago, as researchers from the University of Zurich show based on musical instruments, specialized vocabulary and genetic information.
Can genetic research with indigenous populations be more ethically conducted? This is what Chiara Barbieri and her team believed when starting their work with the Mapuche community, one of the 10 recognized indigenous groups of Chile. In a recent paper, the group reported on this experience to share insights and promote transparent and inclusive science.
Who’s calling? Marmosets are highly social and vocal monkeys, but analyzing these complex communication signals can be tricky. Fortunately, a team of NCCR researchers headed by Prof. Judith M. Burkart has found a solution to this.
How do today’s indigenous communities of South America trace back to the history of human migration and contact in the continent? An international team including NCCR members from the UZH has worked to reconstruct the legacy of Chile’s largest indigenous community, the Mapuche, thanks to genetics and linguistics.