Ancient genomes reveal hidden history of human adaptation
The use of ancient DNA, including samples of human remains around 45,000 years old, has shed light on a previously unknown aspect of humans
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Joseph Shavit
- Oct 26
Vocal communication originated over 400 million years ago
Vocalizations as a resource for communication is common among several groups of vertebrates: singing birds, croacking frogs, or barking dogs
Joseph Shavit
- Sep 19
Talk with your hands? You might think with them too!
How do we understand words? Scientists don’t fully understand what happens when a word pops into your brain. What is embodied cognition?
Joshua Shavit
- Aug 3
First wireless earbuds that clear up calls using deep learning
"ClearBuds" use a novel microphone system and one of the first machine-learning systems to operate in real time and run on a smartphone.
Joseph Shavit
- Jul 19
Wearable earphone uses sonar to create a real-time motion capture avatar of your face
Researchers have developed a wearable earphone device that transforms sonar echoes into an avatar of a person’s entire moving face.
Joseph Shavit
- Jun 12
Prehistoric “Swiss Army knife” shows how early humans communicated
In a world first, researchers have revealed that early humans across southern Africa made a particular type of stone tool in the same shape.
Joseph Shavit
- May 24
How we speak to animals matters, new research finds
Horses, pigs and wild horses can distinguish between negative and positive sounds from their fellow species and near relatives and humans.
Joshua Shavit
- May 1
What are the most common children’s first words, according to largest ever global study
Children learn demonstratives that call others’ attention to objects – such as ‘this/that’ and ‘here/there’ – at extremely young ages.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 16
Dogs can recognize their owner by voice alone
Dogs can recognize their owner by voice alone, and they make use of some of the same voice properties as humans do.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 16
An innovative technology for 6G communication networks
A new waveguide could revolutionize THz signal transmission and processing for faster and broader communication links.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 15
Scientists create a 'Smart Necklace' for silent speech recognition
Speech recognition technology allows us to ask Siri to check the weather for tomorrow, or to ask Alexa to play our favorite song.
Joseph Shavit
- Feb 7
Ever tried to say one word but said another by mistake? New study shows why
The precise role of each subregion in the brain in real-time speech feedback has until now remained unclear.
Joseph Shavit
- Jan 28
Researchers discover that fish talk a lot and have been for over 155 million years
Fish are far more likely to communicate with sound than generally thought—and some fish have been doing this for at least 155 million years.
Joshua Shavit
- Dec 22, 2021
What if we have to talk without moving our hands?
Researchers at UPF and the University of Padua discover what happens when we do not use our hands to explain something.
Joshua Shavit
- Dec 20, 2021
Flawed diamonds may provide perfect interface for quantum computers
Flaws in diamonds — atomic defects where carbon is replaced by nitrogen or another element — may offer an interface for quantum computing.
Joseph Shavit
- Dec 7, 2021
What is Starlink? Inside the satellite business that could make Elon Musk a trillionaire
Starlink is a broadband internet service, specializing in the expansion of coverage to rural and remote communities.
Joseph Shavit
- Dec 6, 2021
How you speak up at work can affect whether you’re picked for a team
New research shows another, more subtle and often overlooked form of speaking up has a big effect on the way work gets done.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 13, 2021
Forgiveness messaging increases willingness to accept former Boko Haram fighters returning home
Thousands of former Boko Haram militants and abductees in Nigeria left the group this summer and asked to return to their homes.
Joseph Shavit
- Oct 6, 2021
It will soon be possible to make satellite phone calls with your regular phone
Not all who wander are lost—but sometimes their cell phone reception is. That might change soon if a global plan comes to fruition.
Joshua Shavit
- Sep 29, 2021
When it comes to communication skills — maybe we’re born with it?
Are a child’s long-term language skills shaped by how their brain develops during infancy, and how much is influenced by their environment