People Neuroscience

Finding the brain’s common language

To learn how speech evolved, Erich Jarvis studies the brains of birds such as canaries that  can imitate sounds.

Ene/iStockphoto

By Erin Wayman

- More than 2 years ago

Erich Jarvis dreams of creating a talking chimpanzee. If his theories on language are right, that just might happen one day.

Jarvis says that the ability to imitate sounds, not higher intelligence, is the key to language.