This is what researchers concluded after studying the genetic basis for imitating sounds. The similarities have nothing to do with evolutionary relationships.
There are a number of species on Earth that can reproduce sounds by hearing them, known as ‘vocal learning’. It is a special skill that ensures that animals can not only recognize complex and varied sounds, but also imitate them. Besides birds, only a few species are known to be able to do this. These include people, dolphins, whales, seals, elephants and bats.
And that is a striking mix. After all, humans and birds are separated by about 300 million years of evolution. While the extent to which different birds learn vocally can differ considerably. While a parrot can also imitate sounds from other species, the zebra finch only imitates melodies from others of its kind. Researchers from the University of California therefore decided to find out why one species can adjust its voice based on what the animal hears, while the other species cannot.
Artificial intelligence
They did this with the help of an artificial intelligence program that could identify fifty gene regulatory elements that are important for this form of sound learning. “In this way, we were able to find parallels between bats and humans, among others, in the structural elements of the brain, its genetic content and even in the neural circuits responsible for vocal learning,” says researcher Michael Yartsev.
Egyptian fruit bat
The Egyptian fruit bat in particular had interesting similarities with us, it turned out. A specific part of this bat’s brain has connections very similar to those in the part of the human brain that controls speech. “The types of cells that form these types of long-distance connections in the brains of humans and bats are the same as those we have discovered based on genetic analysis as most relevant for vocal learning,” says fellow researcher Andreas Pfenning. “The anatomy and genetics therefore both indicate that the same mechanism underlies this in both species.”
Evolution?
But how is it possible that species that are so far apart in evolutionary terms still have similar genetic mechanisms? And many animals that are more closely related do not have this vocal learning ability? The researchers conclude that there must be ‘convergent evolution’: a process in which different species independently develop similar characteristics in response to similar environmental factors. You can also see this, for example, in the wings of animals. The structure of the wings of Pterosaurs, bats and birds are very similar, but the species are not descended from each other. In this case – where several species have developed a way of learning sounds – the cause would be that multiple species apparently had a need for complex and flexible communication.
The discovery was partly made possible by the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In this case, using an approach called machine learning tissue-aware conservering inference toolkit (TACIT). “New artificial intelligence methods were needed to help find evolutionary signals in regulatory elements in hundreds of genomes,” says researcher Pfenning. “We are entering an exciting era in which AI improves our ability to trace human evolutionary history.”
Research using artificial intelligence
It is not the first research conducted with the help of AI. Earlier this year, researchers used artificial intelligence to discover that fingerprints are not as unique as we once thought. Co-author Hod Lipson already indicated that the research also said a lot about the future of artificial intelligence. “Many people think that AI cannot make any real new discoveries, but merely rehashes knowledge. This research is an example of how even a fairly simple AI can provide insights that have eluded experts for decades.” He found it even more interesting that a student without any background in forensics had used AI to go against a widely held belief. “We are about to experience an explosion of AI-driven scientific discoveries by non-experts. The expert community, including the academic world, must prepare for this.”
2024-03-03 18:03:31
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