Wie entstanden die Sprachen? Und wie werden wir in Zukunft kommunizieren? Ein neues Master-Studienprogramm an der UZH geht diesen Fragen nach – in einer einzigartigen fachlichen Breite.
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Scientific expertise of local specialists is critical in animal behaviour research, but often under-recognized and under-appreciated. Based on research conducted at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda, former NCCR Evolving Language member Adrian Soldati, guest researcher at the University of Zurich, explored the phenomenon in a new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
If you haven’t found your calendar for 2026 yet, the NCCR is here to help! Made with amazing pictures from some of our collaborators, you can download and print at home the NCCR Evolving Language 2026 Calendar, available here.
In the new ERC-funded project, “Conceptual Diversity and the Evolution of Abstract Thought” (CONCEVO), Mansfield will lead a team of researchers to develop a method for reconstructing the evolution of abstract concepts, especially spirituality, ethics and social relations.
Starting this year, Sandra Oliveira has taken on a position as Assistant Professor in Genetic and Linguistic Evolution at the University of Zurich. Her expertise brings a new light to the research of the NCCR Evolving Language.
During the Fall Semester 2025, seniors from Uni3 (University of Geneva) had the unique opportunity to visit the Human Neuroscience Platform at Campus Biotech, on three separate occasions.
NCCR researchers led a successful workshop on Experimental Psycholinguistic Methods for Underdescribed Languages. The workshop was held in collaboration with the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and the CHANA Scientific Research Station, for young researchers from interdisciplinary fields in Lima and Pucallpa (Peru).
A new study from researchers at the University of Neuchâtel, published in The Royal Society Open Science, compared the preference for prosocial behaviour, e.g. cooperation, in humans and chimpanzees. Their results uncover surprising similarities that add to our knowledge on the origins of the extraordinary human collaborative and communicative abilities.
On October 28th, the exhibition “The Mind-Body Problem” opened its doors to the public. It is the fruit of a collaboration between the NCCR Evolving Language and artist Robin Meier Wiratunga. This work stems from the intriguing discovery that birds dream in songs, which they will then sing in the following days. Through algorithms, the artist recreates these fragments of acoustic dreams and makes them audible.
On October 1st, 2025, Dr. Jane Goodall passed. Her contributions throughout her long life transformed the field of primatology and reshaped the way we understand humans within the animal kingdom. Here, the members of the NCCR Evolving Language reflect on the impact Dr. Goodall has had, and continues to have, on their work and lives.