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.<\/p>\n
We 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":135,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-33","research_theme","type-research_theme","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"related_groups":[{"group_members":"Sonja Vernes<\/span>\r\nAleksandra Wcislo<\/span>\r\nKirsty Hamilton<\/span>\r\nSasha Newar<\/span>\r\nIne Alvarez van Tussenbroek<\/span>\r\nBenjamin Thompson<\/span>\r\nSixue Lee<\/span>\r\nNikita Groot<\/span>\r\nAlexa Clarke<\/span>\r\nAlice Crighton<\/span>\r\nMike Cummings<\/span>\r\nMeike Mai<\/span>","publications":"[publications flag='individual' code='scv1' dois='1' max='10' categorise='1']","research_projects":"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":false,"related_centre":77,"contact":"scv1@st-andrews.ac.uk<\/span>","ID":244,"post_title":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication","post_content":"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>\r\n\r\nMany 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>\r\n\r\nCurrently 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>","post_excerpt":"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.","post_author":"86","post_date":"2022-12-12 16:15:12","post_date_gmt":"2022-12-12 16:15:12","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"neurogenetics-of-vocal-communication","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-11-07 13:05:13","post_modified_gmt":"2025-11-07 13:05:13","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_group&p=244","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_group","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"_thumbnail_id":["245","4","2022-12-12 16:15:02","2022-12-12 16:15:02","","Phyllostomus discolor_pale spear-nosed bat_Cr_Sonja Vernes","","inherit","open","closed","","phyllostomus-discolor_pale-spear-nosed-bat_cr_sonja-vernes","","","2022-12-12 16:15:02","2022-12-12 16:15:02","","244","https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2022\/12\/Phyllostomus-discolor_pale-spear-nosed-bat_Cr_Sonja-Vernes.jpg","0","attachment","image\/jpeg","0","245"],"id":244}],"related_centre":[{"ID":88,"post_title":"Scottish Oceans Institute","post_content":"The Scottish Oceans Institute (SOI) is an interdisciplinary research institute studying the marine environment which forms a key focus for research excellence in the marine sciences.\r\n\r\nResearch interests range from the deep oceans to the coasts, and from the people who use and interact with the sea, to the biological and physical processes that make the oceans function.\r\n\r\nSOI aims to develop scholarship, commercialisation of research and advanced-level teaching delivered through contributing Schools at the University of St\u00a0Andrews.\r\n\r\nMain website<\/a>","post_excerpt":"","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-17 16:18:17","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-17 16:18:17","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"scottish-oceans-institute","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-27 23:40:47","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-27 22:40:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_centre&p=88","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_centre","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"id":88}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_theme\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_theme"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research_theme"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}