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Bird Brains Explain How Humans Learn to Talk

Posted by Zonk on from the internet-peepuls-speak-gooder dept.

eaglebtc writes "A team of neuroscientists at MIT have made tremendous progress in understanding how birds learn to sing: a part of the brain called the basal ganglia is primarily responsible for controlling the learning of movement and the production of speech. This circuitry is also present in humans, and it is the same way that a baby's random babbling eventually becomes the proficient speech of adults. It is hoped that this research can provide further insights into Parkinson's Disease, an inherited genetic condition that causes rapid breakdown of motor control and speech production. The full research study is available as a downloadable PDF."

5 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Now now by Rie+Beam · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I know /. has been getting a bit of an anti-Scientific leaning as of late, focusing more on the trend of Geekdom moreso than the reality, but you don't have to call them Bird Brains...

  2. Insulting by mikeage · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I don't see any reason to describe these researchers as bird brains...

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  3. OT, but... by Suhas · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ...for a second I thought that Microsoft has published another research paper

  4. Re:Ah ha... a break through in speach paterns! by binaryspiral · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I get banged as a Troll? Have you listened to your leader attempt to speak? Buy this guy a speach class forchristsakes.

    Too many brain dead republicans with moderation points on slashdot...

    Damn it.

  5. Re:Parrot species... by PsiPsiStar · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This may also be taken as evidence that "intelligence" is overrated.

    So should I mod your comment overrated or should I call you unintelligent? :p

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