First songbird genome could reveal much about human speech

Because songbirds learn to sing the way humans learn to talk, from their elders, neuroscientists expect the recent decoding of the Zebra finch's genome to reveal many helpful clues about the evolution, development and disorders of human vocalization.

An international team of scientists, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, UCLA, Uppsala University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and more than 20 other institutions has finished decoding the genome of the Australian zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Their study, published in the April 1, 2010 issue of the journal Nature, indicates that a major portion of the finch's DNA actively engages in hearing, singing and learning distinct, simple melodies that are rooted in the complexities of the bird's genes. The scientists claim this new research, detailing a songbird genome for the first time, will provide scientific insights into the mechanisms underlying human language as well as opening the way for further detailed studies of molecular and genetic causes of many speech disorders, including those associated with Parkinson's disease, stroke, autism, and stuttering. Professor of neuroscience David Clayton demonstrates two unique zebra finch songs through this link, in an audio file.