The human capacity for language has long been considered unique to our species. However, recent studies have challenged this notion by revealing that chimpanzees possess a complex communication system that rivals that of humans in terms of its combinatorial potential. Researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Evolutionary Anthropology and Cognitive and Brain Sciences, along with colleagues from the Cognitive Neuroscience Center Marc Jeannerod and Neuroscience Research Center in Lyon, France, have recorded thousands of vocalizations from wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Ivory Coast.

Their findings reveal that chimpanzees employ four distinct methods to alter meanings when combining single calls into two-call combinations. These include compositional and non-compositional combinations, analogous to the key linguistic principles in human language. The study also highlights the versatility of these combinations, which are used in a wide range of contexts beyond mere predator alerts.

One of the most significant aspects of this research is that it suggests that chimpanzees’ complex communication system may be more similar to human language than previously thought. This has implications for our understanding of the origins of language and the evolutionary history of humans. The study’s authors propose that the capacity for complex combinatorial capacities was already present in the common ancestor of humans and great apes, challenging the views of the last century that communication in great apes is fixed and linked to emotional states.

This research opens up new avenues for investigation into the evolution of language and highlights the importance of studying the communicative capabilities of our closest living relatives. As Cédric Girard-Buttoz, first author on the study, notes, “Our findings suggest a highly generative vocal communication system, unprecedented in the animal kingdom… This changes the views of the last century which considered communication in the great apes to be fixed and linked to emotional states, and therefore unable to tell us anything about the evolution of language.”

The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) has long been a model organism for scientists studying genetics, development, and behavior. However, despite its importance, the intricacies of the fruit fly’s nervous system have remained somewhat of a mystery – until now. Researchers at Leipzig University and other institutions have made a groundbreaking discovery, publishing a study in Nature that provides comprehensive insights into the entire nervous system of the adult fruit fly.

For the first time, scientists have mapped out the neural connections (the connectome) in a female and a male specimen, revealing differences between the two sexes. This breakthrough is a significant step forward in understanding the complex interactions within the fruit fly’s brain and nervous system.

The study, led by Dr. Katharina Eichler from Leipzig University, involved analyzing three connectomes: one female brain data set and two nerve cord data sets (one male, one female). The researchers used light microscopy to identify all neurons in the neck of the fruit fly that could be visualized using this technique.

This allowed them to analyze the circuits formed by these cells in their entirety. When comparing male and female neurons, the scientists identified sex-specific differences for the first time. They found previously unknown cells that exist only in one sex and are absent in the other.

One notable example is a descending neuron known as aSP22, which communicates with neurons present only in females. This finding provides an explanation for the behavioral differences observed when this neuron is active: female flies extend their abdomen to lay eggs, while males curl theirs forward to mate.

The study’s findings are significant not only because they provide a comprehensive overview of the fruit fly connectome but also because they offer a “roadmap” for future research. By understanding the intricate connections within the nervous system, scientists can design more intelligent experiments to investigate the function of individual neurons or entire circuits – saving time and resources.

As Eichler notes, now that the technical challenges in analyzing the fruit fly’s nervous system have been overcome, her research group is working on two new data sets covering the entire central nervous system of both a female and a male specimen. This continued research will undoubtedly shed more light on the complexities of the fruit fly brain and its implications for our understanding of nervous systems in general.

The urban parks of Barcelona, Spain, are home to a thriving colony of tropical monk parakeets. These vibrant green birds, native to South America, have adapted well to their new European environment. As they live in large groups, they communicate with each other using an array of distinct sounds – offering scientists a unique window into understanding the intricate relationships between individual social connections and vocal variety.

For animals that live in complex societies, communication is the key that unlocks the benefits of group living. From dolphins’ clicks and whistles to primates’ calls, it’s well-known that species with more intricate social lives tend to have more diverse ways of communicating. However, a recent study on wild parrots has drilled deeper into the social and vocal lives of individual birds.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior spent two years closely observing 337 monk parakeets in Spain, documenting their social lives and recording over 5,599 vocalizations – an astonishing number that provides a wealth of data for analysis. By examining these calls in terms of repertoire diversity (the variety of sounds a bird can make) and contact-call diversity (how unique this specific type of call is), the team was able to uncover some fascinating insights.

The study revealed that individual parakeets living in larger groups did indeed produce more variable repertoires of sounds. Interestingly, female parakeets had a more diverse repertoire than males – an unusual finding for birds. This suggests that females may be the more social sex, and their vocalizations reflect this.

Social network analysis showed that parakeets with more central positions in the social structure – those that were potentially more influential in the group – tended to have more diverse vocal repertoires. In other words, the most social individuals seemed to have a better vocabulary than less social individuals.

The researchers also found that close friends who allowed each other to approach within pecking distance sounded less like each other, as if they were trying to sound unique in their little gang. These findings offer clues about the evolution of complex communication, including human language.

As Simeon Smeele, the first author of the study, notes, “The next big step is to better understand what each of the sounds mean – a real mammoth task, since most of the social squawking happens in large groups with many individuals talking at the same time!” The study provides a crucial foundation for further research into the intricate relationships between communication and group living in animals.