Gene Involved In Human Language Development Also Involved In Bat Echolocation

ScienceDaily (2007-09-19) -- When it comes to the FOXP2 gene, humans have had most to shout about. Discoveries that mutations in this gene lead to speech defects and that the gene underwent changes around the time language evolved both implicate FOXP2 in the evolution of human language. A new study has found that the FOXP2 gene shows unparalleled variation in echolocating bats. This gene's sequence differences among bat lineages correspond well to contrasting forms of echolocation. ... > read full article