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Study: Evolutionary Changes in Voice Box May Have Led to Human Speech

时间：2022-08-29 09:05:04

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Study: Evolutionary1 Changes in Voice Box May Have Led to Human Speech

Scientists say changes in the voice box of nonhuman primates3 over time may have led to human speech.

The researchers said they examined the voice box, also known as the larynx, in 43 different species of primates. Their study showed that humans differ from apes and monkeys because humans lack a structure called a vocal4 membrane5. This contains small, muscular attachments6 to the vocal cords.

The researchers said humans also lack balloon-like structures called air sacs that may help some apes and monkeys produce loud, deep calls. The air sacs also help the primates avoid hyperventilating, which means to breathe an unusually fast rate.

The scientists said the loss of these tissues resulted in a stable vocal system in humans that was critical to the development, or evolution, of human speech. Such speech permits humans to express thoughts and feelings using clear and complex sounds, the team said.

Humans are primates, as are monkeys and apes. The evolutionary lineage that led to our species, Homo sapiens, split from the one that led to our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, about 6-7 million years ago. The researchers say the voice box changes are believed to have happened after that.

Takeshi Nishimura is with Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior in Japan. He was a lead writer of the study, which recently appeared in the publication Science. Nishimura said the research suggested that complex vocal structures in nonhuman primates can make it difficult to effectively control vibrations8.

Another lead researcher, Tecumseh Fitch of Austria's University of Vienna, added that vocal membranes9 permit other primates to make louder, higher calls than humans. "But they make voice breaks and noisy vocal irregularity more common," he said.

The larynx is a tube in the throat that is connected to the top of the windpipe and contains the vocal cords. It is used for talking, breathing and swallowing. "The larynx is the organ of voice, which creates the signal we use to sing and speak," Fitch said.

Only living species were included in the study because these soft tissues are not likely to appear in fossils, the remains10 of ancient life. This means that it is unclear exactly when the changes took place.

Fitch said it is possible the simplified development happened in a human ancestor called Australopithecus, which combined ape-like and human-like elements. Scientists believe Australopithecus first appeared in Africa about 3.85 million years ago.

The research team said the changes could have happened later in our ancestor grouping Homo, which first appeared in Africa 2.4 million years ago. Homo sapiens – the primate2 species human beings belong to – appeared more than 300,000 years ago in Africa.

Fitch noted11, however, that while the evolutionary simplification of the larynx was important, it "did not give us speech by itself." He noted that other body developments also mattered for speech over time, including a change in the position of the larynx.

"Speech and language are critically related, but not synonymous," said Harold Gouzoules. He is a primatologist and psychologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. "Speech is the audible sound-based manner of language expression - and humans, alone among the primates, can produce it," he wrote in a related commentary in Science.

The researchers noted that the increased complexity12 of human spoken language came as a result of evolutionary simplification.

"I think it's pretty interesting that sometimes in evolution 'less is more,'" Fitch said. He added, "By losing a trait, you might open the door to some new adaptations."

Words in This Story

primate – n. a member of the group of animals that includes monkeys and people

vocal cord – n. folds of skin at the top of your throat that make sounds when air from your lungs moves over them

stable – adj. not likely to change or end suddenly

vibration7 – n. to shake with small, quick movements

fossil – n. part of an animal or plant that lived a long time ago that has been preserved in rock

synonymous – adj. closely related or connected to something else

audible – adj. able to be heard

adaptation – n. the process or act of changing something to fit a new situation


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 evolutionary Ctqz7m     
adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的
参考例句：
  • Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
  • These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
2 primate A1YzI     
n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的
参考例句：
  • 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
  • The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。
3 primates 9536f12c27d026e37c108bd6fc53dbba     
primate的复数
参考例句：
  • Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
  • Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。
4 vocal vhOwA     
adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目
参考例句：
  • The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
  • Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。
5 membrane H7ez8     
n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸
参考例句：
  • A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
  • A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。
6 attachments da2fd5324f611f2b1d8b4fef9ae3179e     
n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物
参考例句：
  • The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
  • It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。
7 vibration nLDza     
n.颤动，振动；摆动
参考例句：
  • There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
  • The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。
8 vibrations d94a4ca3e6fa6302ae79121ffdf03b40     
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动
参考例句：
  • We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
  • I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 membranes 93ec26b8b1eb155ef0aeaa845da95972     
n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物
参考例句：
  • The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
  • The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句
10 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
11 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
12 complexity KO9z3     
n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物
参考例句：
  • Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
  • The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

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