Charles Darwin suggested in 1871 that spoken language originated with instinctive sounds, like squeals or yells, which humans then learned to imitate and modify for specific purposes. Now, scientists ...

The relationship between sounds in words and their meaning is thought to be mostly arbitrary. Some linguists and behavioural ecologists, however, argue that the instinctive vocal responses that humans ...

A superb fairy-wren calls to a Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo. Brood parasites like cuckoos lay eggs in other birds' nests and leave them behind for the host birds to raise. David Ongley / Cornell Lab of ...