Science reveals birdsong shares hidden pattern with human language
Researchers have discovered that Bengalese finches organize their songs using mathematical patterns similar to those found in human language. This suggests that fundamental structures of communication may be universal rather than uniquely human.
Why it matters
This finding challenges long-held beliefs about the uniqueness of human language and provides new insights into the evolution of complex communication.
Scientists say birds organize their singing using the same mathematical formula found in human speech.
Birdsong shows patterns similar to human language, according to a new study.
Researchers have uncovered a previously undetected structure in the songs of Bengalese finches that has the same statistical patterns found in human languages .
They say the birds — famous for their complex, learned songs — organize their singing using the same mathematical formula found in human speech.
The international research team found that the trait has developed over time which makes complex communication easier to learn and pass from one generation to the next.
Their findings, published in the journal Science Advances , build on the team's previous discovery that humpback whales also rely on the similar systematic structure.
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