New research has pinpointed the likely time in prehistory when humans first began to speak. Analysis by British archaeologist Steven Mithen suggests that early humans first developed rudimentary ...

A new analysis of genomic research suggests that humans had the cognitive capacity for language at least 135,000 years ago. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, examines genetic data to ...

The bones of our ancestors remain silent. So, how can we possibly imagine what our earliest languages sounded like? Paleoanthropologists study millions of years of fossil evidence to try and ...

The origins of human language remain mysterious. Are we the only animals truly capable of complex speech? Are Homo sapiens the only hominids who could give detailed directions to a far-off freshwater ...

Our unique language systems distinguish us from other species, but researchers explore how early hand gestures paved the way for civilization. Language gave humans a leg up compared to all other ...