Evolving language in Geneva, with Nina Kazanina and Alexis Hervais-Adelman

In this episode, I talk with Nina Kazanina and Alexis Hervais-Adelman, both at the University of Geneva, about the science behind the upcoming SNL 2026 meeting in Geneva, and the evolutionary and cross-species perspective that the NCCR Evolving Language consortium brings to it. We discuss Nina’s argument that the neural ingredients for a “language of thought” are already available in the spatial navigation system of the rodent brain, and Alexis’s proposal that vocal communication came to dominate human language because of how early the fetus hears and learns in the womb.Kazanina N, Poeppel D. The neural ingredients for a language of thought are available. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27: 996-1007. [doi]Kazanina lab (NeuroLingo Lab)Hervais-Adelman A, Townsend SW. How did vocal communication come to dominate human language? A view from the womb. PLoS Biol 2025; 23: e3003141. [doi]Hervais-Adelman lab (Dynamics of Brain and Language Lab)NCCR Evolving LanguageSNL 2026