Language is possibly the most important and incredible ability that sets humans apart from other species. Whether spoken, written, or signed, language exists in thousands of varieties among modern human cultures, and there are some very language-like communication systems in other animals, too. This episode, we discuss what defines language, what makes it so special, and what we understand about its history and origins among our ancestors.
In the news: orangutan medicine, frog skin, giant sharks, and dinosaur eggs.
Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:05:15
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:34:35
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:14:25
Patron question: 01:58:00
Find Dr. Alex at https://www.bridgetalex.com/ or @bannelia
Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/
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The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org
Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Episode 82 - Trilobites
Episode 81 - Metamorphosis
Episode 80 - Mary Anning
Episode 79 - Pterosaurs
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Episode 78 - Exaptation
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Episode 77 - Fins to Feet: The Fish-Tetrapod Transition
Episode 76 - Horse Evolution
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Episode 75 - The Great Oxidation Event
Episode 74 - South America
Episode 73 - Trees
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Episode 72 - Plesiosaurs
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