Meet our #NCCRWomen!
Embark on a fascinating journey through the evolution of language! Five of our #NCCRWomen will introduce you to their research and personal experience in science. Unraveling the biological foundations of language, its evolutionary past and the challenges imposed by new technologies would not be possible without a unique transdisciplinary approach. And we could not make […]
Happy Birthday, NCCR Evolving Language!
We celebrate one year of joint interdisciplinary research and outreach activities. Launching an NCCR during the global pandemic was not a piece of cake but we are proud of our achievements and we look forward to more exciting research in the years to come!
Call for contributions
Over the past two decades, genomic studies have played an increasingly important role in exploring the history of our own species. These studies have helped to gain detailed insights into the first appearance of anatomically modern humans in Africa and their subsequent migration to other parts of the world. Genomic approaches also allowed researchers to unravel intricate details of population admixture as well as gene functions and adaptations previously deemed impossible. These developments have opened new avenues for exploring the evolutionary origins and the historical dynamics of human language, one of the most distinctive features of our species.
Diversity at the heart of Evolving Language
21 May is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. It is an opportunity to reflect on the values of cultural diversity and to learn how to better “live together”. Within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Evolving Language, diversity is an essential pillar. As such, we are implementing measures to ensure full inclusion.
DOUZE MILLE VINGT – Art project created by Julie Semoroz
Born from the collaboration with the Flux Laboratory and Prof Didier Grandjean from CISA, UNIGE – NCCR Evolving Language, DOUZE MILLE VINGT refers to the internal perception of sound and acts on the capacity to feel the internal physiological activity as indicators of emotions, of the body state.
The ZNZ talks about us!
What makes our NCCR unique and how will it carry language research far into the future? Find it out in the latest issue of the Neuroscience Center Zurich (University of Zurich) newsletter! With our PIs Richard Hahnloser, Martin Meyer, Moritz Daum & Silvia Brem
Adrian Guggisberg has been appointed head of Neurorehabilitation at the University Hospital in Bern
The management of the Insel Group has appointed Prof. Adrian Guggisberg, MD, as head of Neurorehabilitation at the University Hospital in Bern. He will take up his post on August 1, 2021 and succeed Prof. René Müri, MD, who is retiring.
#NCCRWomen campaign for the 50th anniversary of women’s vote in Switzerland
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in Switzerland, the
National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) will introduce you to some women working in Swiss research institutes.
Marmoset Monkeys Eavesdrop On and Understand Conversations Between Other Marmosets
Marmoset monkeys perceive the vocal interactions between their conspecifics not just as a string of calls, but as coherent conversations. They also evaluate their content. These are the findings of a study by researchers at the University of Zurich which combined thermography methods with behavioral preference measures.
Additional information to the 19h30 RTS of Friday (04.02.21)
Following the report “Brain stimulation, a hope to cure dyslexia”, on February 4, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. of the RTS, the dyslexia team of the NCCR (National Center of Competence in Research)- Evolving Language, Profe Anne-Lise Giraud, Dr. Sylvia Marchesotti and Johanna Nicolle provided additional information on the study which can be found on the website of the Association Dyslexie Suisse romande.
Marketing, money and technology: behind the scenes of the GPT-3
Over the past 6 months, GPT-3, a language model using deep learning to produce human-like text, has hit the headlines. Some of the articles had even been written by GPT-3 itself. Among other terms, the machine has been described as “stunning”, a “better writer than most humans” but also a bit “frightening”. From poetry to human-like conversation, its capacities appear infinite… but are they really? How does GPT-3 work and what does it say about the future of artificial intelligence?
Simple syntax, hard to plan: new EEG evidence on sentence production
Some languages require less neural activity than others. But these are not necessarily the ones we would imagine. In a study published today in the journal PLOS Biology, researchers at the University of Zurich have shown that languages that are often considered “easy” actually require an enormous amount of work from our brains.
Around 200 people attended our Online Information Event
Around 200 people joined us yesterday for our online information event! This was a great opportunity to officially introduce our NCCR to the community.
Bonobos are sensitive to joint commitments
Bonobos, when abruptly interrupted in a social activity with another bonobo, resume it, as soon as the interruption is over, with the same partner.
An ERC Consolidator Grant for Judith Burkart
Judith Burkart has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for her research on interdependence between humans and apes during human evolution.
Online Information Event
We would like to invite you all to an online information event on January 22nd, 2021, 4-5 pm. We will present the project, explain our larger scientific vision and discuss our long-term plans. The presentation will be in English, followed by a Q&A session.
Dwarf mongooses may combine units in order to create new meanings
Dwarf mongooses seem to produce a complex call that may be a combination of distinct call units, reveals a study published by researchers from the University of Zurich in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Coming from fields that have traditionally been far apart (Biology and Linguistics), the authors have combined their expertise […]
NCCR member Silvia Brem has been presented with the Georg Friedrich Götz Award
Cancer researcher and physician Steffen Böttcher from the Universitätsspital Zürich and neuroscientist Silvia Brem have been presented with the Georg Friedrich Götz Award for their outstanding contributions in the field of medical research.
NCCR PI Sabine Stoll’s results in the latest Research*eu magazine
ERC Research from our PI and director of ISLE, Sabine Stoll, was presented in the latest Research*eu magazine: ‘How children learn how to speak: a cross-language investigation’.
Martin Volk joins management board of COST Action
NCCR PI Martin Volk joined the management board of the COST Action Language In The Human-Machine Era. This COST Action aims at preparing linguistics and its subdisciplines for the digital challenges of our times as well as at fostering the long-term dialogue between linguistics and technology developers.
NCCR officially started
The NCCR Evolving Language officially started on June 1, 2020. An official inauguration event will be held in fall at the University of Zurich. Date and location will be communicated in due course.
NCCR starting date postponed
Baring possible further decisions by the SERI or the SNSF, the starting date of the NCCR has been postponed to June 1, 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The earliest timepoint for hiring scientific staff is one month after the start date. Since this is just before the summer break, most projects will take […]