{"id":244,"date":"2022-12-12T16:15:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T16:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_group&#038;p=244"},"modified":"2025-11-07T13:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:05:13","slug":"neurogenetics-of-vocal-communication","status":"publish","type":"research_group","link":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/research-group\/neurogenetics-of-vocal-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Our research group focuses on the study of vocal communication in mammals as a way to understand the biological basis of human speech and language and how this trait evolved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many species of mammal, including our primate cousins, have limited vocal repertoires. But a few mammals such as bats, whales and elephants use complex and varied vocalisations that share some characteristics with human speech, for example, the ability to learn vocalisations from other members of their social group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Currently very little is known about the genetic basis for these sophisticated vocal behaviours in non-human mammals. Studying such species could provide clues about how human language evolved, and how language abilities are encoded in the brain and the genome.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our research group focuses on the study of vocal communication in mammals as a way to understand the biological basis of human speech and language and how this trait evolved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":245,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-244","research_group","type-research_group","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"group_members":"<span>Sonja Vernes<\/span>\r\n<span>Aleksandra Wcislo<\/span>\r\n<span>Kirsty Hamilton<\/span>\r\n<span>Sasha Newar<\/span>\r\n<span>Ine Alvarez van Tussenbroek<\/span>\r\n<span>Benjamin Thompson<\/span>\r\n<span>Sixue Lee<\/span>\r\n<span>Nikita Groot<\/span>\r\n<span>Alexa Clarke<\/span>\r\n<span>Alice Crighton<\/span>\r\n<span>Mike Cummings<\/span>\r\n<span>Meike Mai<\/span>","publications":"[publications flag='individual' code='scv1' dois='1' max='10' categorise='1']","research_projects":"<span>As part of our quest to understand the neurogenetic bases of vocal learning and social-vocal communication, we devote particular attention to the study of vocal learning and communication behaviour in bats. We use cutting-edge molecular techniques to identify genes and neural circuits that are important for vocal communication and learned vocalisations in this species. We also investigate the causes of language disorders in clinical populations to gain insight into the causes of these disorders, but also to understand the genetic factors underlying normal language development. Candidate genes identified in clinical populations are also explored in our animal models to understand what role they play and why their disruption leads to language-related disorders.<\/span>","related_theme":[{"related_groups":[244],"related_centre":88,"ID":33,"post_title":"Developmental and evolutionary genomics","post_content":"Understanding the molecular processes that underpin development, physiology and evolution. Research in the SOI includes work on teleost fish and how internal and external factors influence muscle growth and physiology, with direct applications to economically important farmed and wild-caught species.\r\n\r\nWe also use marine model species to understand biological processes such as regeneration and embryogenesis, to inform and influence biomedical advances as well as understand the processes involved with the evolution of morphologies and biodiversity.","post_excerpt":"Understanding the molecular processes that underpin development, physiology and evolution. Research in the SOI includes work on teleost fish and how internal and external factors influence muscle growth and physiology, with direct applications to economically important farmed and wild-caught species.","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-14 16:11:26","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-14 16:11:26","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"developmental-and-evolutionary-genomics","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-02-25 14:04:14","post_modified_gmt":"2022-02-25 14:04:14","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_theme&#038;p=33","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_theme","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"_thumbnail_id":["135","4","2022-02-25 14:04:08","2022-02-25 14:04:08","","whales-1","","inherit","open","closed","","whales-1","","","2022-02-25 14:04:08","2022-02-25 14:04:08","","33","https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/01\/whales-1.jpg","0","attachment","image\/jpeg","0","135"],"id":33},{"related_groups":[244],"related_centre":85,"ID":46,"post_title":"Evolutionary Origins of Biological Diversity","post_content":"<span>Theodosius Dobzhansky famously wrote that \u201cnothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution\u201d. This is especially true for understanding biological diversity: research in the Centre for Biological Diversity focuses on how diversity is generated, and the evolutionary forces that maintain or erode it. The Centre for Biological Diversity has world-leading research programmes in the study of population diversification and speciation, which is the ultimate origin of biodiversity at the level of the species and above.<\/span>","post_excerpt":"The Centre for Biological Diversity has world-leading research programmes in the study of population diversification and speciation, which is the ultimate origin of biodiversity at the level of the species and above.","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-14 20:27:08","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-14 20:27:08","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"evolutionary-origins-of-biological-diversity","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-02-25 14:05:59","post_modified_gmt":"2022-02-25 14:05:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_theme&#038;p=46","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_theme","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"_thumbnail_id":["136","4","2022-02-25 14:05:54","2022-02-25 14:05:54","","NB3","","inherit","open","closed","","nb3","","","2022-02-25 14:05:54","2022-02-25 14:05:54","","46","https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/01\/NB3.jpg","0","attachment","image\/jpeg","0","136"],"id":46},{"related_groups":[154,158,244],"related_centre":77,"ID":122,"post_title":"Integrative science","post_content":"BSRC researchers apply interdisciplinary approaches to understand the fundamentals of evolution, development, chromosome replication, the cell cycle and senescence. Using combinations of biochemical, biophysical and molecular genetic methods \u2013 with single cell to whole animal model systems \u2013 they dissect the principles underpinning life.","post_excerpt":"BSRC researchers apply interdisciplinary approaches to understand the fundamentals of evolution, development, chromosome replication, the cell cycle and senescence.","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-21 09:42:26","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-21 09:42:26","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"integrative-science","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-02-25 14:07:46","post_modified_gmt":"2022-02-25 14:07:46","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_theme&#038;p=122","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_theme","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"_thumbnail_id":["138","4","2022-02-25 14:07:42","2022-02-25 14:07:42","","fly","","inherit","open","closed","","fly","","","2022-02-25 14:07:42","2022-02-25 14:07:42","","122","https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/01\/fly.jpg","0","attachment","image\/jpeg","0","138"],"id":122},{"related_groups":[222,244,158,154],"related_centre":77,"ID":201,"post_title":"Cell Biology","post_content":"","post_excerpt":"","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-11-28 11:02:30","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-28 11:02:30","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cell-biology","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-28 15:20:58","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-28 15:20:58","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_theme&#038;p=201","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_theme","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"_thumbnail_id":["205","4","2022-11-28 14:27:07","2022-11-28 14:27:07","","pexels-fayette-reynolds-ms-11198494","","inherit","open","closed","","pexels-fayette-reynolds-ms-11198494","","","2022-11-28 14:27:07","2022-11-28 14:27:07","","201","https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/11\/pexels-fayette-reynolds-ms-11198494.png","0","attachment","image\/png","0","205"],"id":201},{"related_groups":[239,244,263],"related_centre":77,"ID":202,"post_title":"Human Diseases","post_content":"","post_excerpt":"","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-11-28 11:02:56","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-28 11:02:56","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"human-diseases","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-28 14:30:40","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-28 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themes are infection and immunity, biophysics, molecular medicine, and chemical biology.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/bsrc\">Main Website<\/a>","post_excerpt":"","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-17 15:53:50","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-17 15:53:50","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biomedical-sciences-research-complex","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-20 13:31:47","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-20 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