A team of researchers is using a novel technique to comb through the data and to reconstruct major branches in the linguistic tree. The diversity of human languages can be likened to branches on a ...

The diversity of human languages can be likened to branches on a tree. If you’re reading this in English, you’re on a branch that traces back to a common ancestor with Scots, which traces back to a ...

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health. Benjamin holds a Master's degree ...

Paul Heggarty and colleagues present a new framework for the chronology and divergence of languages in the Indo-European family, which places the family’s origin at around 8300 BP – older than ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Among the myriad abilities that humans possess, which ones are uniquely human? Language has been a top candidate at least since ...