New Experiments Hint Human Language Likely Didn’t Start With Grunts

Our ability to elaborately communicate is one of humanity’s greatest superpowers. It allows us to retain and build knowledge across generations, cooperating at a global scale unlike anything else seen on Earth. But much about how this ability evolved is still a mystery, including its origins.   Recently, a team of researchers set up some … Read more

Science needs to address its imagination problem – lives depend on it

Almost 200 people died in the German floods of 2021 because experts couldn’t convince them of impending danger. We must rethink how to get through to the public, says hydrologist Hannah Cloke Humans | Comment 23 February 2022 By Hannah Cloke Simone Rotella IMAGINATION is one of those powerful human traits that sets us apart … Read more

Why everyone should learn some sign language

By Bencie Woll Simone Rotella Not so long ago, deaf children were punished in the UK for using sign language in the classroom. Recounting his experience in the 1960s, one deaf person told one of my colleagues many years later: “I had a lot of punishments for signing in classrooms… One morning at assembly, I … Read more

How Communication Around COVID Fuels a Mistrust of Science

The highly contagious COVID Omicron variant is shattering new U.S. daily case records. With Omicron carrying a risk of breakthrough infection five times higher than that of the Delta variant, we are witnessing a significant impact on the American workforce in all sectors. The increase in cases among essential workers has sidelined many health care … Read more

We Could Harness White Noise to Save The Lives of Millions of Birds. Here’s How

Billions of birds die each year from collisions with tall glass buildings, communication towers and power lines – a gobsmacking toll that’s expected to increase as cities grow outwards and upwards.   A recent study suggests there could be a way to fix our deadly mistakes – by installing ‘acoustic lighthouses’ that blast white noise … Read more

Dog news: Pets can respond to 89 distinct words on average

A survey of dog owners has concluded that the average pet can respond to 89 words or phrases, with some dogs responding to 215 Life 14 December 2021 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Dogs respond to more words than you might think Shutterstock / Prostock-studio Domestic dogs respond to 89 words and phrases, on average – including … Read more