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  • =?UTF-8?Q?Re:_Fast-growing_brains_may_explain_how_humans?= =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=94and_marmosets=E2=80=94learn_to_talk?=

    From DDeden@user5108@newsgrouper.org.invalid to sci.lang,sci.anthropology.paleo on Mon Sep 29 14:23:35 2025
    From Newsgroup: sci.lang


    Christian Weisgerber <naddy@mips.inka.de> posted:

    On 2025-09-06, Tilde <invalide@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    https://phys.org/news/2025-09-fast-brains-humans-marmosets.html

    Why does like every pop-sci article have to contain a throwaway
    paragraph that gives me pause:

    Only a handful of other speciesrCoincluding a
    few songbirds such as cowbirds and zebra
    finchesrColearn to "talk" by noting their
    parents' reactions to their initial coos and
    gurgles.

    How does that work for cowbirds? They are brood parasites.

    Faster brain growth at birth/hatch, not in womb. Cowbird fetus can hear birth mother through shell, then hears adopted mother after hatching.
    Alloparenting induces or increases initial 2-way speech/song
    Cowbird brood parasitism may produce effect of alloparenting, having two mothers communicating.
    Or not.



    Also, sampling bias? How many species have been studied in detail?

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