Why is it that humans can talk but mice can’t?  

New research published in the journal Nature Communications found that it might be due to a specific gene. 

If you asked somebody what sound a mouse makes, most people would answer 'squeak' - but mice can also make chirping sounds in the ultrasonic range that humans can’t hear. 

The researchers took a variant of a gene called NOVA1, which is only found in humans, and gene-edited it into mice. 

The genetically modified mice started to squeak differently to the mice without the gene. Genetically modified baby mice that were separated from their mothers made very distinctly different sounds compared to non-modified baby mice from the same litter. Adult male mice also changed their songs during mating calls when they had the NOVA1 gene.  

These results suggests that the human version of NOVA1 is likely to influence vocal communication and could be a key player in the evolution of our speech. 

To confirm that this genetic variant was truly unique to modern humans, the researchers then did an analysis that checked genomes from extinct human species, the Neanderthals and Denisovans. 

They found that our ancient ancestors lacked this variant, however it was present in the genomes of modern humans from around the world. 

Humans are unique as a species when it comes to how we communicate, and knowing the gene involved in language could help us to understand how we began talking in the first place as well as potentially helping in treating speech disorders. 

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