Biologically speaking, the genome
composition of human beings differs only by 1.23% from that of
chimpanzees, the species most closely related to humans. However, it is
in virtue of this difference in genetic information that we have
evolved our human-specific characteristics. The Human Evolutionary
Studies Section, through comparative research on the genomes and
cognitive abilities of human beings and chimpanzees, aims to specify
the genetic transitions which have been most central in shaping
humanity. In carrying out this research, we pursue a method of studying
human evolution which is not restricted to the existing frameworks of
physical anthropology and cultural anthropology. In particular, to
answer the question of how it was possible for human beings to develop
language, we try to uncover the biological foundations of language by
exploring the preadaptation that was a necessary condition for the
development of language.
|
