In The News
Press coverage and the public impact of our research
September 15, 2023
Recent News
Vocal learning linked to problem solving skills and brain size
The European starling boasts a remarkable repertoire. Versatile songbirds that learn warbles, whistles, calls, and songs throughout their lives, starlings rank among the most advanced avian vocal learners. Now a new study published in Science finds that starlings, along with other complex vocal learners, are also superior problem solvers.
August 31, 2023
Recent News
NHGRI's Oral History Collection: Interview with Erich Jarvis
In this oral history interview, Dr. Jarvis discusses his early life as a dancer, how the arts has guided his work as a scientist, how he came to his groundbreaking research on vocal learning in animals and how his work has been impacted by the completion of the Human Genome Project and subsequent rapid developments in genome sequencing technologies.
March 8, 2023
Recent News
New blood in the copycat club
PRECIOUS FEW ANIMALS can learn to imitate new sounds, a skill known as advanced vocal learning. Humans and parrots can do it, as can whales, seals, bats, hummingbirds, songbirds, and elephants, the last of which have been observed copying the sounds of passing trucks. New research from the laboratory of Erich D. Jarvis welcomes woodpeckers as members of this rather exclusive club, albeit for a different reason
March 31, 2022
Recent News
Complete Human Genome Deciphered for the First Time
Twenty years after scientists first reported reading the human genome, the Telomere-to-Telomere consortium has now unveiled a complete version. Their work uncovered hundreds of new genes and opens the door to new insights into evolution and disease.
November 15, 2021
Recent News
A new interdisciplinary center, devoted to the neuroscience of social behavior, has been launched with a $25 million gift
Richard P. Lifton, president of The Rockefeller University, today announced a gift of $25 million from Michael and Vikki Price to establish the Price Family Center for the Social Brain, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary initiative that will expand the frontiers of neuroscience.
September 14, 2021
Recent News
The Bioinformatics CRO Podcast:
Episode 43 with Erich Jarvis
Erich Jarvis, Professor at Rockefeller University and investigator at HHMI, explains how studying the neural and genetic mechanisms of vocal learning in songbirds gives insights into the development of spoken language in humans.
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EurekAlert, The Vertebrate Genomes Project introduces a new era of genome sequencing
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HHMI, Project to read genomes of all 70,000 vertebrate species reports first discoveries
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RU, Researchers assemble error-free genomes of 16 animals – with another 70,000 …
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NPR, 25 down and 71,632 to go: scientists seek genomes of all critters with a backbone
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Academic Times, Researchers come one step closer to sequencing all vertebrate genomes
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GenomeWeb, Vertebrate Genomes Project presents high-quality genomes for 25 species
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News Medical Life Sciences, Researchers apply ‘kitchen sink approach’ to produce 16 high-quality reference genomes
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News Medical Life Sciences, Researchers propose a new universal nomenclature for vasotocin and oxytocin genes
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RU, A case for simplifying gene nomenclature across different organisms
DEIJ
The politics of science and racism, 2020
An open letter: scientists and racial justice, 2020
NIH Director’s Blog: Bob Kuska, posted August 23, 2018
SciQ, Should Scientists be Political, published Feb 5, 2018
Media
Opinion: Redefining Productivity in the Age of COVID-19
Babies on Netflix, Episode 4, 2020
SciTechNow with Hari Sreenivasan
When Whales Walked, Evolution special for PBS
Select Science, Scientists’ Channel, a video-based communication platform for scientists:
NOVA Science Now, What are Animals Saying? aired Wednesday April 25, 2018
SciShow, published Dec 12, 2017, How do parrots talk like humans? (references Jarvis’ research)
Select Science, published Dec 11, 2017
Studying Bird Brains: Not such a bird-brained idea! published November 27, 2017
March for Science, Earth Day, April 22, 2017
On vocal learning
On genomics
Archive News
2015
ScienceDaily Study of birds’ sense of smell reveals important clues for behavior, adaptation
NU Parrots can mimic speech thanks to special brain structure
Politiken Researcheres: Here’s parrot talk center
Newstalk Moncrieff Interview with Mukta Chakraborty (audio source: Mani Chakraborty, time: 5:08)
Communication: Listening in (eLife)
The Conversation How the parrot got its chat (and its dance moves)
Bioscience Technology Study Hints at Why Parrots are Great Vocal Imitators
Times of India Mystery of parrots’ talking ability solved
DailyMail How do parrots talk? Wiring in the brain may explain their ability to imitate speech, study claims
IFL Science Why are Parrots Such Good Copycats?
Science Magazine Newly identified brain structure may explain why parrots are such good copycats
Phys.Org Study hints at why parrots are great vocal imitators
Duke Feedstyle New Study Hints at Why Parrots are Great Vocal Imitators
DukeTODAY Study Hints at Why Parrots are Great Vocal Imitators
Braindecoder Unique Structures In Parrot Brain May Explaining Mimicking Skills
The Telegraph Revealed: The secret to how parrots talk
Duke Today Study Hints at Why Parrots are Great Vocal Imitators
The Bird Family Tree Gets a Makeover
BBC Can any animals talk and use language like humans?
New Scientist Did neurons evolve more than once on Earth?
Duke Magazine A feather in his cap
Science Magazine Science by any means necessary
Science Magazine Following the birdsong of science
Scientific American The Bird Family Tree Gets a Makeover
Science World Report Mice Sing Like Songbirds to Woo Their Mates (VIDEO)
Smithsonian Magazine Male Mice Sing Sexy Songs to Woo Females
Discovery News Male Mice Sing Fancy Tunes to Woo the Ladies
The Washington Post Mice sing just like birds, but we can’t hear them
NBC News Hear How Singing Mice Change Their Tune to Woo Mates
Reuters Rodent romance: male mice use ‘love songs’ to woo their women
The Guardian Squeaky serenade: male mice woo females with song, scientists discover
Huffington Post Yes, Mice Can Sing. And You Won’t Believe How Much They Sound Like Songbirds
Duke Today Mice Sing Like Songbirds to Woo Mates
2014
Science Whole-genome Analyses Resolve Early Branches in the Tree of Life of Modern Birds
Washington Post Birdsong and human speech turn out to be controlled by the same genes
LiveScience Birds Evolved in ‘Big Bang,’ New Family Tree Reveals
Reuters Feathered friends: researchers unveil bird ‘family tree’
The Scientist Bird Genomes Abound
EurekaAlert! Chickens and turkeys ‘closer to dinosaur ancestors’ than other birds
Phys.Org Genes tell story of birdsong and human speech
AAAS New Genome Sequences Reveal the Bird Tree of Life
Science Podcast
2013
HHMI Melody-Modifying Mice
NCBI Rudimentary Substrates for Vocal Learning in a Subuscine
2012
Duke Today Singing Mice Show Signs of Learning
Plos One Of Mice, Birds, and Men
IBiology Erich Jarvis: Brain Pathways for Vocal Learning
2010
CBS Scientists Decode Songbird Genome
BBC News Blueprint of the Songbird Genome
2009
NIH Evolution and Medicine Brain Evolution: Lessons from birds and humans who sing and talk (4th article on page)
2008
Duke Today Erich Jarvis Named Howard Hughes Investigator
The News & Observer Prof’s bird-brain research honored
Scientific American Song-Learning Birds Shed Light on Our Ability to Speak
2006
Science Why Does the Songbird Sing?
National Geographic Humans Are Birdbrained When Learning Speech, Study Hints
2005
3SAT Sexy-syllable sound for Kanarienvogelweibchen
DukeHealth.org Neurobiologist Jarvis Named to “Brilliant 10”
Innovations Report Scientists propose sweeping changes to naming of bird neurosystems
2004
Bio-Medicine.org A bird ‘language’ gene pinpointed
Innovations Report A Bird “Language” Gene Pinpointed
Duke Medicine A Bird “Language” Gene Pinpointed
Advance for Administrators of the Laboratory A Bird “Language” Gene Pinpointed
UCLA A Bird’s Song May Be Key to Understanding Human Speech Disorders
Scientific American Birds Share ‘Language’ Gene with Humans
Bio-Medicine.org Chatty Finches
Eurekalert.org Bird’s song may be linked to speech disorders
UPENN Birdsong and Speech:Together in the Genome?
Pysch Central Bird’s song may be linked to speech disorders
SciTecLibrary A Bird ‘Language’ Gene Pinpointed
The Human Genome Some Special Genes
NIH Learned Birdsong and the Neurobiology of Human Language
Ascribe A Bird ‘Language’ Gene Pinpointed
ScienCentral Bird Brain Gene
Songbird gene linked to speaking in humans
2003
Rita Collwell Lecture NSF Computing: Getting us on the path to wisdom
Eureka Alert! Talking to the animals?
New York Times A Biologist Explores the Minds of Birds That Learn to Sing
BBC – Radio 4 – Leading Edge Why Birds Sing…
BBC NEWS | In Depth | Denver Birds Sexy Songs
Nature Online Genes Sing New Song
The Age Dawn chorus could hold key to man’s ability to talk
The Guardian Bird brains offer clues to origins of speech
Aftonbladet The parrot can explain how we learn language
Medic Media Songbirds help to understand how the human speech
The Connection.org NPR Bird Brains
ABC Radio International w/Robyn Williams Bird Song
Die Welt Learn to speak together
3 Sat Sexy-syllable sound for Kanarienvogelweibchen
Hunter College Neurobiologist Erich Jarvis ’88 Leads New Scientific Studies of Historic Importance
SeqWright Participates in Sequencing the Zebra Finch Brain Full-length cDNA Library
I am an African American Scientist
NIH Record NIGMS Anniversaries Marked at Minority Meeting
Just Garcia Hill
Hummingbird Articles
Dallas News
CBC Radio | Richardson’s Roundup
Tiere Brauchen
Japanese
Profauna – Gehirnstruktur fu”rs
Foreign
Popugae
Bilim Utopya
Verkkouutiset
Life Extension Foundation
NSF Images
Leadership for the Future S&E Workforce
Learning from songbirds
AAAS News Release
AAAS News Report
AAAS Women & Minorities in Science Networking Brea.
AAAS What Happened During the Meeting
Bay Weekly: Dock of the Bay
Clever Boy
DEMENTED TURKEYS!!!!: NY Times
London Independent
Times Online
Denver Science Editor
The Science Coalition-Duke University
National Science Teachers Association
B-Mail(sm): ARBIRD-L
Duke bird song researchers in the news
President’s Speech: NSF
Silicon Valley Biz Ink. Seqright Announcement
2002
NSF Alan T. Waterman Award Recipient 2002
Duke Magazine-A Scientist in Full-Update- 2002
NIGMS Minority Programs Update
Duke Waterman Press Release Duke Daily Dialogue News ReleaseDuke News – ReleaseINSIDE Duke Waterman
Confessions of a Bird Brain
NIH Record Minority Program
Daily Report Chronicle
Duke University Year In Review
2001
Duke Magazine-Singing In The Brain
2000
Universidade Estadual de Campinas 2000a
Universidade Estadual de Campinas 2000b
Reasons To Believe: Facts For Faith Issue 4, 2000
Duke News – Image GalleryDuke Hummingbird News Release 2000Natural History 2000aNatural History 2000bCiencia e Tecnologia 2000No mundo da Ciência 2000artigos2000AS VOZES DO BEIJA FLOR 2003Unicamp 2000Estado “Estudo mapeia cérebro de beija-flores” 2000Brazil jun 2000Ciencia Hoje 2000
ExpeditionZone Austria 2000
Discovery.com 2000
Brain Work This Week 2000
Wildlife News 2000
Briefme: Magazine Archive 2000