Probing the deep history of human genes and language

Brown University evolutionary biologist Sohini Ramachandran has joined with colleagues in publishing a sweeping analysis of genetic and linguistic patterns across the world's populations. Among the findings is that geographic ...

Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes

Half of the world's languages are endangered and more than a thousand are expected to be lost in coming decades. A team at UCL is using animation software to preserve these languages in an entirely new way.

Genes and languages aren't always found together, says new study

More than 7,000 languages are spoken in the world. This linguistic diversity is passed on from one generation to the next, similarly to biological traits. But have language and genes evolved in parallel over the past few ...

Linguistic and biological diversity linked

Cultural diversity—indicated by linguistic diversity—and biodiversity are linked, and their connection may be another way to preserve both natural environments and Indigenous populations in Africa and perhaps worldwide, ...

Climate a driver of language diversity

A region's climate has a greater impact than landscape on how many languages are spoken there, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

Borrowing a leaf from biology to preserve threatened languages

One of the world's 7,000 languages vanishes every other week, and half - including scores of indigenous North American languages—might not survive the 21st century, experts say. To preserve as much linguistic diversity ...

Discovering what shapes language diversity

A team of international researchers, led by Colorado State University's Michael Gavin, have taken a first step in answering fundamental questions about human diversity.

Economic success drives language extinction

New research shows economic growth to be main driver of language extinction and reveals global 'hotspots' where languages are most under threat.

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