Naked Mole-Rat Lingo
By: Ilori Tankpinou
https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2010/05/13/naked_mole_rats_key_to_human_sexuality.html
Naked mole rats are interesting creatures who tend to be very chatty and stay in tight knit communities similar to ants. But no one has ever looked into how mole rats communicate until now. It’s been discovered that every group of mole rats has their own special dialect, and that the chirps that the hairless animals emit has special frequencies. These frequencies help mole rats identify who is a part of their clan and who isn’t. Now scientists want to figure out whether these chirps are learned at a young age or whether they are genetically coded. A mole rat pup was removed from it’s colony before it could learn it’s native dialect, and moved to a new colony- the fleshy creature quickly learned it’s new colony’s dialect. Just like ant society’s mole rats have a queen rat who suppresses the other rats from reproducing and also controls how the colony speaks, if the queen were to die the dialect would dissolve.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/naked-mole-rat-colonies-speak-communicate-unique-dialects
Do you think this (the dialect) is a positive or negative trait of mole rat colonies?
Do you think human languages have the same effect as mole rat dialects? (Identification, order, sense of community)
Do you think language for humans is a learned trait or it’s in our DNA?
The dialect is a good trait for the mole rats as it allows them to ensure safety by confirming that they are surrounded by their community. While human language may not be used to keep others away, it can be difficult to be accepted and included in a society that does not speak your language. For humans speaking a different language may not be an alert system as it is for mole rats, rather it is indirectly used to keep people with a different language out. For humans language is learned as it is possible to learn multiple languages at different times in life, however, it is possible that the range of sound that we are able to make is in our DNA.
ReplyDeleteCarissa Bersche
This is a positive trait, it allows colonies to identify each other and not let outsiders in that shouldn't be there. Human language doesn't have this exact effect but we can identify different accents and determine where someone may be from. Lastly I think it is something that is learned in humans as we don't start talking at birth but we rather coo and make other sounds that aren't native languages.
ReplyDelete-Tyler A.
I think human language is a learned trait because human language has advanced over time, most likely the first humans sounded like in our times that they are just making random grunts and noises. Even stories of children who survived in the wild and they had what we would call a "animal" language and they have sounds that don't seem like a human could make.
ReplyDelete-Angeline Upchurch
I agree with you that language for humans is a learned trait and that if we weren't surrounded by people who spoke a human language we would probably speak "animals languages" or say "ooga booga".
DeleteI think it's a positive trait because it ensures that the colonies stay together and that they are around other mole rats from their same colony. It would be interesting to know the history behind the dialects and how many there are. Like the mole rats, I would say human language is learned too.
ReplyDeleteTrinity Mathis
I believe that language is learned among humans. There are many articles about "feral children" who were abandoned at a very young age and didn't have parents to communicate with them. These children were rescued at the age of 10 or 11 and were never able to learn the grammar, syntax, and accent of the english language. Even in their adulthood, they spoke in short two-word sentences. This shows that young children need to be spoken to and exposed to their native language as much as possible or they won't learn it. -Shirin Saha
ReplyDeleteI believe that this is a positive trait because it allows for the colonies to build its community. They are able to stay safely together and well, communicate in a productive way! I think its cool but not surprising that animals have their own way of speaking just as humans and even marine animals do. -Raquel Morgens
ReplyDelete