Language and cultural evolution

Evolutionary dynamics of maximal syllable complexity show no universal bias rooted in jaw biomechanics

The paper uses phylogenetic comparative methods to analyze syllable complexity across 5 language families, finding lineage-specific factors drive variation more than universal biomechanical biases.

Interindividual vocal tract diversity influences the phonetic diversification of spoken languages

The paper shows that vocal tract variation among individuals leads to consistent phonetic differences, suggesting a neutral-like evolutionary process in language sound development.

From Language-Cognition Coupling to AI Foundations: An Evolutionary Perspective on 13,415 SNVs in 33 Language/Cognition Genes

This paper analyzes 13,415 SNVs in 33 language/cognition genes across species to identify evolutionary breakpoints and assess gene enrichment, finding language and cognition genes are not separable modules but part of an integrated system.

Comparison of evolutionary rescue via biological and cultural evolution

This study compares evolutionary rescue probabilities through biological and cultural evolution using a stochastic model, showing that transmission biases significantly affect rescue outcomes.

Experimental Emergence of Conventions in Human Dyads

This study examines how human dyads form and maintain conventions in a color-matching game under different informational conditions, finding that more information delays convention formation but does not reduce their stability.

When to learn from elders or peers: accessibility-knowledgeability trade-offs explain variation in age-biased social learning

The paper models how age-biased social learning evolves in structured populations, showing that individuals shift from learning from peers to elders as they age due to trade-offs between knowledge and accessibility.

Representational capacity shapes both the "whether" and "how" of social learning

This paper uses simulations to show that social learning benefits are strongest for populations with moderate information-processing capacity, and that learning strategies shift from success bias to conformism as capacity increases.

Applying invasion criterion to cultural evolution

This paper applies ecological invasion criteria to predict cultural trait coexistence under different social learning biases and finds it works for most but not similarity-based learning.

An inverse correlation between linguistic and genetic diversity

The paper shows that genetic diversity is inversely correlated with linguistic diversity, with isolation promoting linguistic diversification and contact promoting homogenization.

Ancient regulatory evolution shapes individual language abilities in present-day humans

Polygenic score variants in HAQERs (Human Ancestor Quickly Evolved Regions, <0.1% of the genome) predict spoken language but not nonverbal IQ; language associations replicate in SPARK, ABCD and UK Biobank.

Cumulative Cultural Evolution in Structured Populations

This study examines how social network structure influences cumulative cultural evolution under different transmission biases and finds that network effects depend strongly on the type of bias.

How does stochasticity in learning impact the accumulation of knowledge and the evolution of learning?

This study uses a mathematical model to show that stochasticity in learning increases cumulative knowledge by promoting variability, which enhances selection for knowledge acquisition and investment in learning.

STbayes: An R package for creating, fitting and understanding Bayesian models of social transmission

The paper introduces an R package called STbayes for Bayesian analysis of social transmission using network-based diffusion models, demonstrating its ability to distinguish individual and social learning contributions.

Disentangling complex language contact and admixture in the broad Gansu-Qinghai region

The paper analyzes language contact and admixture in the Gansu-Qinghai region using a hybrid dataset and a new statistical method to identify linguistic influences from Sinitic, Tibetan, Mongolic, and Turkic languages.

The effect of spatial bottleneck on human eco-cultural range expansion

This study extends an eco-cultural model to analyze how spatial bottlenecks affect cultural and ecological spread, finding that cultural waves can be blocked by narrow corridors while ecological waves are unaffected.

Gene-Culture Coevolution Favours the Emergence of Traditions in Mate Choice through Conformist Social Learning

This study shows gene-culture coevolution can enable tradition formation in mate choice without requiring conformist social learning, by leveraging frequency-dependent interactions between preferences and traits.

Global patterns of genetic admixture reveal effects of language contact

The paper uses genetic admixture to estimate language contact effects globally, finding shared features between admixed populations and language pairs in the same area.

Writing does not Impact the Evolution of Syntax

This study tests whether writing affects language evolution and use, finding no significant impact on hierarchy depth, sentence length, or clause combining in 30 and 59 languages.

Linguistic evolution minimizes the amount of syntactic hierarchy in grammar

The paper uses phylogenetic modeling to show that languages tend to minimize syntactic hierarchy in grammar, with cultural variation, likely due to learning costs.

Iterated language learning is shaped by a drive for optimizing lossy compression

The paper shows that iterated learning leads semantic systems to approach optimal lossy compression of meaning, suggesting a cognitive bias toward efficient representation.

A neural network model for the evolution of reconstructive social learning

This study develops a neural network model to explore how reconstructive social learning evolves, showing that environmental stability and learning type influence the emergence of individual and social learning strategies.

Childhood exploration drives population-level innovation in cultural evolution

This study uses agent-based models to show that childhood exploration enhances cultural adaptation and long childhood evolution by enabling broader learning before exploitation.

The coevolution of learning schedules and teaching enhances cumulative knowledge and drives a teacher-innovator syndrome

This study shows that coevolving learning schedules and teaching enhance cumulative knowledge and create a teacher-innovator syndrome across generations.

Worldwide patterns in mythology echo the human expansion out of Africa

This study combines genetic data and mythological motifs to show that population movements and cultural diffusion shaped the distribution of myths globally, with evidence dating back to 38,000 years ago.

The technical-reasoning network is recruited when people observe others make or teach how to make tools: An fMRI study

This study uses fMRI to show that the technical-reasoning network is activated when observing others make or teach tools, highlighting its role in social learning of technical content.

A Darwinian model of cultural replication over the continuum of Weismannian and Lamarckian inheritance

This paper presents a mathematical model showing that Lamarckian and Weismannian inheritance form a continuum, allowing cultural replication to approximate genetic replication fidelity.

Evolution of mental traits linked to cultural development in modern humans and Neanderthals

The paper compares mental trait evolution between modern humans and Neanderthals, finding suppression of neuroticism and increased learning in humans, and greater intelligence evolution in Neanderthals.

Human and chimpanzee-similar primates have distinct language gene polymorphism patterns

The paper compares language gene polymorphism patterns between humans and chimpanzee-like primates, finding distinct SNPs and clustering differences.

Inferring linguistic transmission between generations at the scale of individuals

The paper develops a method to infer historical linguistic transmission using within-population linguistic diversity and demographic models.

Studying the Effect of Oral Transmission on Melodic Structure using Online Iterated Singing Experiments

This study uses online iterated singing experiments to show that cognitive and motor constraints shape melodic structure through oral transmission.