Few people have done as much to change how we view the world as Charles Darwin. Yet On the Origin of Species is more cited than read. Some of it is considered outdated; in some ways, it has been consigned to the nineteenth century. In The Theory That Changed Everything, the renowned cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman demonstrates that there is no better guide to the world's living things than Darwin, as the phenomena that he observed are still being explored at the frontiers of science. In a wide-ranging voyage from Darwin's transformative trip aboard the Beagle to Lieberman's own sojourns in the remotest regions of the Himalayas, this book relates contemporary findings to the major concepts of Darwinian theory. Drawing on his own research into the evolution of human linguistic and cognitive abilities, Lieberman explains the paths that adapted human anatomy to language, the acrobatics of the lungs and larynx and a tongue that facilitates speech at the cost of the peril of choking. He demystifies the role of recently identified transcriptional and epigenetic factors encoded in DNA, explaining how nineteenth-century Swedish famines alternating with years of plenty caused survivors' grandchildren to die many years short of their life expectancy. Lieberman is equally at home decoding supermarket shelves and climbing with the Sherpas as he discusses how natural selection explains features from lactose tolerance to ease of breathing at Himalayan altitudes. With conversational clarity and memorable examples, Lieberman relates the insights that led to groundbreaking discoveries in both Darwin's time and our own while asking provocative questions about what Darwin would have made of controversial issues today.

Few people have done as much to change how we view the world as Charles Darwin. Yet On the Origin of Species is more cited than read, and parts of it are even considered outdated. In some ways, it has been consigned to the nineteenth century. In The Theory That Changed Everything, the renowned cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman demonstrates that there is no better guide to the world's living-and still evolving-things than Darwin and that the phenomena he observed are still being explored at the frontiers of science. In an exploration that ranges from Darwin's transformative trip aboard the Beagle to Lieberman's own sojourns in the remotest regions of the Himalayas, this book relates fresh, contemporary findings to the major concepts of Darwinian theory, which transcends natural selection. Drawing on his own research into the evolution of human linguistic and cognitive abilities, Lieberman explains the paths that adapted human anatomy to language. He demystifies the role of recently identified transcriptional and epigenetic factors encoded in DNA, explaining how nineteenth-century Swedish famines alternating with years of plenty caused survivors' grandchildren to die many years short of their life expectancy. Lieberman is equally at home decoding supermarket shelves and climbing with the Sherpas as he discusses how natural selection explains features from lactose tolerance to ease of breathing at Himalayan altitudes. With conversational clarity and memorable examples, Lieberman relates the insights that led to groundbreaking discoveries in both Darwin's time and our own while asking provocative questions about what Darwin would have made of controversial issues today, such as GMOs, endangered species, and the God question.

This textbook has been carefully designed to provide a thorough introduction to the study of speech. It assumes no technical background, and students from the wide variety of disciplines contributing to this new and exciting field will find the exposition always accessible. Each chapter progresses from simple examples to more detailed discussions of recent primary research and concludes with problem sets which student's will find interesting and enlightening. All the topics that are essential for a basic understanding of the field are covered - the physiological, biological, and neurological bases of speech; the physics of sound; the source-filter theory of speech production; and the principles underlying electrical and computer models of speech production. All students, whatever their area of special interest speech therapy, phonological theory, psycholinguistics. neurolinguistics, anthropology, etc. - will discover in this text the challenge and fascination of the scientific study of speech. The authors undoubtedly succeed in their explicit aim: not only, to prepare students to evaluate critically the latest research, but also to encourage them to undertake their own research projects.

Evolution is opportunistic and has a "historic" logic of its own making. Existing structures and systems are adapted to serve new ends, often maintaining their original functions as well. Once a new behavior is in place, natural selection may then modify a structure to enhance that aspect of life; but some, or all, of the demands of the starting point may persist. ...the brain mechanisms that yield human syntax ability also have evolutionary antecedents outside the domain of language. The subcortical basal ganglia structures of the human brain that are critical elements of the neural systems that allow us to comprehend the meaning or to form a sentence also continue to support neural circuits that regulate motor control as well as aspects of cognition, mood, and much else. The evolutionary record of the changes that yielded human language is evident in the morphology and physiology of the brain and body; disputes concerning the evolution of language follow from different readings of the text. Uncertainty arises because the text has become obscured; the species who possessed intermediate stage of language are extinct.... Nonetheless, the situation is not hopeless...the present anatomy and physiology of the human brain and body reveal its evolutionary history, which, in turn, provides insights on the nature of the biologic bases of human cognition, language, and other aspects of human behavior. --from Chapter 1

Today, scientists cite language as the distinctively human feature. But what is language--a sign, a grunt? A sound with collective symbolic meaning? This remarkable book seeks to set the record straight with a critical refinement of the language theory, providing readers for the first time with a scientific explanation of how Eve came to speak at all. Illustrations.

This book is an entry into the fierce current debate among psycholinguists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary theorists about the nature and origins of human language. A prominent neuroscientist here takes up the Darwinian case, using data seldom considered by psycholinguists and neurolinguists to argue that human language--though more sophisticated than all other forms of animal communication--is not a qualitatively different ability from all forms of animal communication, does not require a quantum evolutionary leap to explain it, and is not unified in a single "language instinct."

Using clinical evidence from speech-impaired patients, functional neuroimaging, and evolutionary biology to make his case, Philip Lieberman contends that human language is not a single separate module but a functional neurological system made up of many separate abilities. Language remains as it began, Lieberman argues: a device for coping with the world. But in a blow to human narcissism, he makes the case that this most remarkable human ability is a by-product of our remote reptilian ancestors' abilities to dodge hazards, seize opportunities, and live to see another day.

In a stimulating synthesis of cognitive science, anthropology, and linguistics, Philip Lieberman tackles the fundamental questions of human nature: How and why are human beings so different from other species? Can the Darwinian theory of evolution explain human linguistic and cognitive ability? How do our processes of language and thought differ from those of Homo erectus 500,000 years ago, or of the Neanderthals 35,000 years ago? What accounts for human moral sense? Lieberman believes that evolution for rapid, efficient vocal communication forged modern human beings by creating the modern human brain. Earlier hominids lacked fully human speech and syntax, which together allow us to convey complex thoughts rapidly. The author discusses how natural selection acted on older brain mechanisms to produce a structure that can regulate the motor activity necessary for speech and command the complex syntax that enhances the creativity of human language. The unique brain mechanisms underlying human language also enhance human cognitive ability, allowing us to derive abstract concepts and to plan complex activities. These factors are necessary for the development of true altruism and moral behavior. Lieberman supports his argument about the evolution of speech and the human brain by combining the comparative method of Charles Darwin, insights from archaeology and child development, and the results of high-tech research with computerized brain scanning and computer models that can recreate speech sounds made by our ancestors over 100,000 years ago. Uniquely Human will stimulate fresh thought and controversy on the basic question of how we came to be.

This book synthesizes much of the exciting recent research in the biology of language. Drawing on data from anatomy, neurophysiology, physiology, and behavioral biology, Philip Lieberman develops a new approach to the puzzle of language, arguing that it is the result of many evolutionary compromises. Within his discussion, Lieberman skillfully addresses matters as various as the theory of neoteny (which he refutes), the mating calls of bullfrogs, ape language, dyslexia, and computer-implemented models of the brain.