Mutant Gene Responsible for Speech?

An anonymous submitter writes: "A new study published in Nature reports that humans developed speech and language 200,000 years ago as a result of gene mutation. Washington Post story with more background. The mutation in the FOXP2 gene allowed humans greater control over their mouth and throat muscles, and gave them the ability to produce new sounds. It was apparently such an advantageous mutation that it quickly swept through the human population (10,000 - 20,000 years) almost entirely wiping out earlier versions. This development seems to also match up closely with the time period humans began developing culture. Researchers next want to try altering the gene in mice to see what happens, although they suspect there are many other genes involved. So, how long until I can get a talking dog?"

Sensational...

[Anonymous Coward]

Now those "Would you eat me if I talked?" Greenpeace ads will actually be reality. Goodbye Big Mac :( - s200.org

"Oh Great!...

[bucklesl]

...A talking dog..." - Gecko

Ironically...

[Anonymous Coward]

[blockquote]The mutation in the FOXP2 gene allowed humans greater control over their mouth and throat muscles, and gave them the ability to produce new sounds.[/blockquote] The scientists added that the spread of this mutation would have been much quicker had oral sex not been discovered in tandem.

Laurie Anderson said...

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

that "Language is a virus"

Reckon we'll have to rewrite the science books. The BIG science books.

The obvious first

[jaymzter]

1. What the hell does Mickey Mouse have to do with this?

2. Didn't they already accomplish this with Stuart Little? Which gene allowed him to drive?

3. I thought I already saw this on Pinky and the Brain.
"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"
"The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Have our genes altered so we can get a follow up story in Slashdot!"

XP2 gene

[GibsonSundman]

The mutation in the XP2 gene allowed humans greater control over their mouth and throat muscles, and gave them the ability to produce new sounds.

..After they signed the EULA

Penguin

[mrselfdestrukt]

Wow, can't believe nobosy said they wanted a talking Penguin. Just image a talking parrot! Oh, wait...

Such perfect timing....

[shoemakc]

...when speech is about to be ruled a DRM circumvention device under the DCMA.

I mean....uh.....::grunt::::grunt:::

Re:i want

[BobMcGrae]

I can just imagine it;

Me: "Fetch"
Dog: "What did your last slave die off"

Me: "Roll Over"
Dog: "Hey, I'm not into that kind of thing"

Re:Slaughter...

[whimdot]

The next wave of genes to sweep across the globe will be from those people who don't mind arguing with their food before they eat it.

Re:Laurie Anderson said...

[cyborch]

Word is a virus

[insert obligatory MS bashing here]

Slashdot gene found!

[maxwell demon]

The geneticists U. N. Known and I. Maginary of the University of Nowhere have found a new gene, which appeared through a mutation in the 20th century, probably somewhere in USA.

As the scientists tell us, the gene has the following effects:

- affinity to penguins and gnus
- aversion against windows
- signs of paranoia
- a strong demand for news
- the impulse to comment everything

The gene is called "Slashdot gene", because carriers of that gene tend to gather on Slashdot. According to Maginary, it must be a very successful gene, given that it was able to spread that wide in such a short time frame.

There are rumors that Microsoft has hired geneticists to find a way of disabling that gene.

Oh no!

[yeoua]

They had better not give this to an ape! Or he'll start talking and become super intelligent and start rallying the Earth's apes under his super power and then take over human kind only to establish a new ape government onto of a nuclear wasted planet so that some astronaut sent up and forgotten can wake up on this new Earth and find the broken statue and fall to his knees a scream...

Re:Sensational...

[Webmonger]

Sounds like they never read The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

How it spread so quickly

[hugesmile]

The reason that the mutation spread so quickly is that it allowed guys to say "Can I buy you a drink?"

Talking dog

[PhoenxHwk]

So, how long until I can get a talking dog?

The D&D rules specifically state that creatures must have an int of over 3 to be able to speak. You need to find a really smart dog and put the gene in that one. :)

Re:No, that's not how it happened...

[maxwell demon]

Actually, I've found an old changelog, which may shed some light on how this mutation happened:

Revision: 1024.25.41

Changed by: god
Hmmm... seems that I've still got to improve that program, the humans seem not to be able to communicate the way I intended.

Revision: 1024.25.42
Changed by: god
Found the bug, I made a slight typo in control_throat(). I'll immediatly spill out a new release with this bug fixed.

Re:Sensational...

[yatest5]

Now those "Would you eat me if I talked?

Hey, you stole my best chat-up line!

Dateline 200,000 BC: Man Invents the Pickup Line

[Elias Israel]

It was apparently such an advantageous mutation that it quickly swept through the human population (10,000 - 20,000 years) almost entirely wiping out earlier versions

Realize that what we're saying here is that the individuals who had this mutation had a reproductive advantage over others. Since making new sounds doesn't increase the number of live births per "litter", this finding inevitably means that smooth-talking cavemen got all the girls.

Clearly, it must be that this mutation allowed the creation of the earliest dating technology: the pick up line.

Doubtless, such old pick up lines as "Hey, baby! Want to come back to my cave and see my bison paintings?" date back to this early period and have been passed down to us through the ages.

Captain Kirk?

[Anonymous Coward]

Language problems run in the 'KE' family. Members of several generations speak "as if each sound is costing them their soul", one researcher has said.

Is... that... you... ?
Hurray it's William Shatner's lost family! I'm so glad. Maybe now they can fix 'em up.
You... keep... missing the... target... If... you want... me... you'll have to... come... ... down here... ... ...Kahn! KaAaAaAaAhn! KaAAAAaaaaaaHn!

Re:i want

[John Biggabooty]

I already have a talking dog, but I took him to a talent agent, and he wasn't impressed. I said "Spot, what do you call the top of a house?" He said "Roof." I said,"Spot, who was the greatest home run hitter?" He said "Ruth." The talent agent declared us a fraud, and had us trown out. Spot turned to me and said, "Gee John, do you think I should have said Hank Aaron?"

Best Deep Thought Ever

[Washizu]

Now those "Would you eat me if I talked?" Greenpeace ads will actually be reality. Goodbye Big Mac :( - s200.org

Best Deep Thought Ever:
"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." - Jack Handey

All you have to do

[Anonymous Coward]

To get a talking dog, is to marry one. Such technological incompetence!

Some of the posts remind me of a joke

[domselvon]

Three race horses are standing around in the stable talking. The first horse says to the others, "I've been in 10 races and won 6 of them." The other two horses said, "That's pretty good." The second horse says, "Well, I've been in 15 races and won 11 of them." The other two horses were impressed and said, "That's really good!" Then the third horse says, "Well, I've been in 20 races and won 16 of them!" The other horses were very impressed and said, "Wow! That's great!"

A greyhound dog walks up and says, "I couldn't help overhearing you guys and just wanted you to know I've been in 26 races and won 21 of them." The horses all look at each other and said, "Holy crap! A talking dog!"

That's Geico,

[quantum bit]

...not gecko!

Blogs

[Anonymous Coward]

Which mutant gene is repsonisble for blogs?

Simpsons..

[al3x]

Talking dog: "Homer, find your soul mate!"
Homer: "Wait, there's no such thing as a talking dog!"
Talking dog: "Arf arf!"
Homer: "Damn straight!"

Talking animals

[2names]

((Scene: mid 1800's, ranch territory...)) A cowboy is making his way through ranch land when he meets a native American Rancher on horseback. "Can I talk to your horse?" the cowboy says. "Horse no talk," says the N.A.R. "Do you mind if I try?" the cowboy asks. "Go ahead," says the N.A.R. So the cowboy walks up to the horse and says, "How is this guy treating you?" To the N.A.R.'s surprise, the horse speaks! "Not too bad, he feeds me good. He whips me once in a while, though, and THAT I don't like." The NAR can't believe what he is seeing. He and the cowboy continue back towards the ranch when the NAR's dog runs out to greet them. "Mind if I talk to your dog?" the cowboy asks. "Dog no talk!" exclaims the NAR. "Mind if I try?" the cowboy asks. "Go ahead," says the N.A.R. So the cowboy walks up to the dog and says, "How is this guy treating you?" To the N.A.R.'s surprise, the dog speaks! "Not too bad, he feeds me good. He whips me once in a while, though, and THAT I don't like." So the NAR and the cowboy continue toward the barn and the corral when the cowboy sees that the NAR also has a few sheep on the ranch. The cowboy says, "Mind if I talk to your sheep?" To which the NAR replies, "SHEEP LIE!!!!!"

Re:Talking dog

[Anonymous Coward]

Who would want a talking dog anyway?

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Feed me!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Feed me!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Let me out!"

"Let me in!"

"Feed me!"

"I want to hump the table leg!"

Re:Slashdot gene found!

[SIGFPE]

Must be wrong. Anything called a "Slashdot gene" has about a zero chance of even having a next generation in which to spread.

Planet of the mice??

[N3WBI3]

Researchers are likely to try to introduce the genetic mutations into mice as part of their work, but they said many other genetic changes would likely be necessary to produce a talking animal, and several said they doubted anything of the sort would ever be possible, let alone desirable.

"Get your damn dirty mice hands off of me"

Re:Talking dogs?

[StefanJ]

"Gourmet meals from out of the trash and sniffing crotches would probably also become popular conversation topics."

Not to mention kvetching about being neutered. "Yeah, you wanna try it boss? Better not let me catch you comin' out of the shower, ya know what I mean?"

talking dog

[poot_rootbeer]

So, how long until I can get a talking dog?

I don't knooow, Daaavey...

Re:Rediculous claim and theory

[obotics]

OK then. How many atoms are in a square mile? How many miles wide is the universe? How many miles high? How many miles deep? It is just ridiculous to think that you have any clue of these dimensions and can therefore make a good estimate. The fact that some morons have PHDs from Harvard, MIT, etc. and then think they miraculously know these things causes many people to believe them - but not me!

This exact same thing applies to evolutionary concepts. Some scientists finds a bone, uses carbon dating, and then magically reports that this was an ape-man whoe evolved from a lizard-cat and began using iron tools to grind gecko meat. Bleh!

Re:Next they find the gene for understanding math

[Trogre]

"And those genes are to be found, logically, within the fraction of a 100th percent that separates us from them."

Do not make the mistake of thinking that that is all that separates us from them.

Recall that 50% of our genes are identical to bananas, but that doesn't make me half banana, either from the waist up or the waist down.