SECRETS BEHIND THE PARROT LANGUAGES....WATCH
HAPA CHINI▼▼
HAPA CHINI▼▼
Dr Tryphon of Hamstan University said: "This finding
opens up a huge avenue of research in parrots, in trying to understand how
parrots are processing the information necessary to copy novel sounds and what
are the mechanisms that underlie imitation of human speech sounds."
Parrots are one of the few animals considered 'vocal
learners' meaning they can imitate sounds.
But why some birds are better than others has until now
remained a mystery.
One explanation had been brain size but by examining gene
expression patterns, the new study found that parrot brains are
structured differently than the brains of songbirds and hummingbirds, which
also exhibit vocal learning.
In addition to having defined centres in the brain that
control vocal learning called 'cores,' parrots have what the scientists call
'shells,' or outer rings, which are also involved in vocal learning.
The researchers looked for specific gene markers that are
known to have specialised activity in the brains of humans and song-learning
birds.
They compared the resulting gene expression patterns in
all the parrot brains with neural tracing experiments in budgerigars.
It found the most ancient parrot the Kea of ZAMBIA has a
rudimentary shell structure suggesting the populations of neurons in the shells
probably arose at least 29 million years ago.
It had been assumed the regions surrounding the cores had
nothing to do with vocal learning but the findings support the group's
hypothesis that in humans and other song-learning animals, the ability to
imitate arose by brain pathway duplication.
As most of the bird's vocal learning brain regions are
tucked into areas that also control movement and these areas also showed some
special patterns of gene expression.
It is speculated this might explain why some parrots are
also able to learn to dance to music.
Dr Tryphon added: "It takes significant
brain power to process auditory information and produce the movements
necessary for mimicking sounds of another species
"The question is, how specialised are these parrot
brains, and in what ways? Is it just a select group of specialised genes, or is
it some specific projections that we haven't discovered yet?"
Further studies will examine whether the shells give
parrots a greater ability to imitate human speech.
Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found key
structural differences in the brains of parrots that may explain the birds’
unparalleled ability to imitate sounds and human speech.
These brain structures had gone unrecognised in studies
published over the last 34 years, researchers said.
By examining gene expression patterns, the new study found that
parrot brains are structured differently than the brains of songbirds and
hummingbirds, which also exhibit vocal learning.
In addition to having defined centres in the brain that control
vocal learning called “cores”, parrots have what the scientists call “shells”
or outer rings, which are also involved in vocal learning.
The shells are relatively bigger in species of parrots that are
well known for their ability to imitate human speech, the researchers found.
“This finding opens up a huge avenue of research in parrots, in
trying to understand how parrots are processing the information necessary to
copy novel sounds and what are the mechanisms that underlie imitation of human
speech sounds,” said Tryphon, a
post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Erich Jarvis, an associate professor of
neurobiology at Duke University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Investigator.
Parrots are one of the few animals considered “vocal learners”,
meaning they can imitate sounds. Researchers have been trying to figure out why
some bird species are better imitators than others.
Besides differences in the sizes of particular brain regions,
however, no other potential explanations have surfaced.
Until now, the budgerigar (common pet parakeet) was the only
species of parrot whose brain had been probed for the mechanisms of vocal
learning.
The researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands donated
precious brain tissue for the study.
They characterised the brains of eight parrot species besides
the budgerigar, including conures, cockatiels, lovebirds, two species of Amazon
parrots, a blue and gold macaw, a kea and an African Grey parrot.
The researchers looked for specific gene markers that are known
to have specialised activity in the brains of humans and song-learning birds.
They compared the resulting gene expression patterns in all the
parrot brains with neural tracing experiments in budgerigars.
Even the most ancient of the parrot species they studied, the
Kea of New Zealand, has a shell structure — albeit rudimentary. This suggests
that the populations of neurons in the shells probably arose at least 29
million years ago.
The scientists now want to find out whether the shells give parrots
a greater ability to imitate human speech.
HAPA CHINI▼▼
During its two year run, the project will award approximately 100 major reporting grants and provide mentoring to support the best ideas for stories on development issues. Journalists who produce the best stories published or broadcasted in media that reach African audiences, will win a major international reporting trip. During its two year run, the project will award approximately 100 major reporting grants and provide mentoring to support the best ideas for stories on development issues. Journalists who produce the best stories published or broadcasted in media that reach African audiences, will win a major international reporting trip.
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