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A new study: Decoding primate language – is it possible?
07.01.2024 16:10
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:21
A team of specialists conducted a study to understand how we recognize and differentiate the vocal sounds of primates and humans.
They found that our ability to identify these sounds is not solely based on our genetic similarity but also on the type of frequencies emitted.
Let's find out what they've discovered.
A new study
Our brain has evolved to process the vocal emissions of our primate cousins efficiently.
Verbal language processing involves factors like pauses, accentuation, and intonation, which contribute to the meaning of our vocal communications.
The frontal and orbitofrontal regions of our brain process these sounds and help us make decisions.
The study exposed volunteers to various human and simian vocalizations while monitoring their brain activity through MRI scans.
Test results
The results showed that participants could easily differentiate between human, macaque, and chimpanzee vocalizations, but had difficulty with bonobo vocalizations due to the acoustic differences.
Kinship and acoustic distance both play a role in our ability to recognize these vocalizations.
Future research will focus on identifying the emotional content of these vocalizations.
Previously, we talked about helping endangered species with technologies.
